“Philanthropy and Philosophy: Putting Theory into Practice”

The 2015 Royal Ethics Conference will focus on the topic “Philanthropy and Philosophy: Putting Theory into Practice” and will address the ethics of philanthropy, broadly construed, such as these:
                         

Why should one give?  What is that wealthy penny-pinchers do not understand?  Is generosity a virtue?  Do we have a duty to give?  Are there imperfect or meritorious duties?  Is philanthropy supererogatory?  What is the connection between philanthropy and altruism:  can one be a selfish or self-interested philanthropist?

How should philanthropists weigh the values of various causes, such as religion, the arts, education, human rights, animal rights, and saving lives from hunger or disease?  Is it wrong to give money to the arts, when that money could have saved lives? What theoretical approach to ethics gives the best answers to such questions?

The Royal Ethics Conference is made possible through the generous support of the Royal Professorship in Ethics and American Society and also by the Once Upon a Time Foundation, which is devoted to promoting discussion about philanthropy.