Question

source: andrew carnegie, \wealth,\ north american review, june 1889.
...what is the proper mode of administering wealth after the laws (of survival of
the fittest) upon which civilization is founded have thrown it into the hands of
the few?
there are but three modes in which surplus wealth can be disposed of. it
can be left to the families of the decedents; or it can be bequeathed for public
purposes; or, finally, it can be administered by its possessors during their lives....
the first is the most injudicious.... why should men leave great fortunes
to their children? if this is done from affection, is this not misguided affection?
as to the second mode, that of leaving wealth at death for public uses,
(why should a man) wait until he is dead before he becomes of much good in the
world? ... men who leave vast sums in this way may fairly be thought men who
would not have left it at all had they been able to take it with them....
there remains, then, only one mode of using great fortunes; ... the duty of
the man of wealth (is to) set an example of modest ... living...; and ... to consider
all surplus revenues ... as trust funds ... to produce the most beneficial results for
the community – the man of wealth thus becoming the ... agent for his poorer
brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to
administer; doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves....
the man who dies rich dies disgraced.

document analysis

1. who is the author of this article and in what year was it written?
2. what is \survival of the fittest\ and how does it \throw\ wealth into the hands of the few?
3. according to carnegie what two things shouldnt a rich person do with his fortune?
4. according to carnegie what should a rich person do with his fortune?
5. what does carnegie mean when he says, \the man who dies rich dies disgraced\?
6. these ideas of andrew carnegie are often referred to as \the gospel of wealth.\ are the ideas

expressed in this document the ideas of a hero? explain your thinking.
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Explanation:

1. The author and year are stated at the top of the source.
2. "Survival of the fittest" is a social Darwinist concept where the most capable (in business/industry) succeed, accumulating wealth, concentrating it in the hands of a small number of people.
3. Carnegie explicitly criticizes the first two modes of disposing wealth in the text.
4. Carnegie outlines the third, preferred mode of wealth administration in the text.
5. This quote ties to Carnegie's core argument about the moral duty of the wealthy to use their resources for the public good during their lifetime.
6. This is a subjective analysis: framing Carnegie as a hero centers on his push for equitable wealth distribution for public good; counterpoints could focus on how he accumulated wealth.

Answer:

1. Andrew Carnegie, 1889
2. "Survival of the fittest" refers to the idea that in a competitive society/economy, the most capable, hardworking, or shrewd individuals will succeed financially. It concentrates wealth in the hands of the few because these successful individuals accumulate vast fortunes while others are less able to compete and accumulate wealth.
3. A rich person should not leave great fortunes to their children, and they should not wait until their death to bequeath wealth for public uses.
4. A rich person should live modestly, treat all surplus wealth as trust funds, use their superior wisdom/experience to administer these funds to produce the most beneficial results for the community, and act as an agent to help poorer members of society (doing more for them than they could do for themselves).
5. Carnegie means that a wealthy person who does not use their fortune to benefit the community during their lifetime, instead hoarding it or passing it on unproductively, has failed their moral duty to society and should be seen as disreputable.
6. (Example 1: Hero framing) Yes, these are the ideas of a hero. Carnegie advocates for using extreme wealth to lift up the less fortunate, prioritizing public good over hoarding or enriching descendants, which promotes collective well-being.

(Example 2: Non-hero framing) No, these are not the ideas of a hero. While his philanthropic ideas seem noble, they do not address the often exploitative labor practices that allowed him to accumulate his vast wealth in the first place, making his call for charity a partial, incomplete solution.