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Ronald King
PHST-P301-23464
October 19, 2016

Summary on Curing Evils at Their Source: The Arrival of Scientific Giving, by Judith

Sealander in Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History

THESIS: Americas wealthy turned their attention to economic inequality starting in the late 19th

century. In the process, scientific giving, the embrace of wholesale solutions to societal

problems with an emphasis on professionalism and standardization, transformed the nature of

philanthropy. The first modern philanthropists were motivated as much by the desire to ease class

conflict as by moral impetus.

3 QUESTIONS: 1) What motivated the scientific philanthropists? Owing to their belief in

free enterprise and their success within the laissez faire economic system of 19th century

America, it should go without saying that the new philanthropists approached society from a

belief of superiority. With that said, most of the scientific philanthropists believed their

superiority to be a gift from God, and a precious gift at that, one not to be squandered in the vain

indulgence of charity. Rather, the combination of their innate gifts and the wealth those gifts had

accrued demanded a new approach to the problem of social inequity. Rockefeller confidante

Frederick Gates called for a scientific approach to these ills, influenced by the work of Sears,

Roebuck co-founder Julius Rosenwald, who referred to himself as a wholesale philanthropist.

In practice, this meant that philanthropists should endeavor to attack the causes of social

problems, to treat the disease itself, rather than the symptoms (Sealander, p. 221)
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2) What led to the creation of the charitable foundation? Simply put, the endowed

charitable foundation fulfilled the need of the modern philanthropist to know that moneys and

efforts were not wasted. In contrast with the tenets of Andrew Carnegies Gospel of Wealth,

which scientific philanthropists held was merely a restating of the old model of distributive

charity (pp. 224-5), foundations looked to ameliorate the causes of conditions that led to the need

for charity. In this, scientific philanthropists embodied a modified version of the social gospel,

the belief that the more fortunate were called to serve humanity in the spirit of Jesus (p. 226).

In doing so, it was only natural that the industrialists that impelled the scientific philanthropy

movement would call upon their own gifts for organization and efficiency. The private charitable

foundation was a natural extension of this.

2) How did scientific philanthropy impact society at large? Foundations undertook

scientific studies and surveys that would impact many fields, none more notably than education

and medicine. The Flexner Report and its author, the Carnegie Foundations Abraham Flexner,

were key to reforming medical standards in the United States at the cost of opportunity for

women, minorities, and the aspirational (pp. 230-2). John D. Rockefellers support of the RIMR

and scientific philanthropys promotion of public health campaigns revolutionized medicine in

the United States, emphasizing education on the subject of disease and arguably leading to the

eradication of many communicable diseases (pp. 234-6).

Similar reforms in higher education, undertaken in the name of professionalism, had

lasting effects, resulting in the specialized curricula now typically offered by most American

colleges and universities (p. 233). Scientific philanthropys need for data resulted in the
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burgeoning field of sociology and compelled governments to petition foundations for its

expertise in measuring the needs of its citizens and the impacts of its policies (pp. 237-8).

IMPLICATIONS: It is not an exaggeration to insist that philanthropy as we know it would not

exist if not for the reforms enacted by those who believed a measured approach was needed to

combat societys ills. America itself was indelibly shaped by the suggestions of well-funded

advocates for social change. For all the elitism the scientific philanthropists undoubtedly

indulged in the name of progress, the results speak for themselves. As the third sector takes root

in civil societies throughout the world, the influence of scientific philanthropy makes needed

change possible, especially through the instrument of the foundation.

Works Cited

Sealander, J. (2002). Curing Evils at Their Source: The Arrival of Scientific Giving. In L.

Friedman and M. McGarvie, Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History

(pp. 217-240). New York: Cambridge University Press.