Prometheus and Philanthropia
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Licence: Wikipedia Commons
4/8/2006
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| Gift: | Other |
| Approach: | Philanthropy |
| Issues: | 10. Reduced Inequalities |
| Included in: | Kindness and Generosity, Philanthropy in Early Civilizations |
Philanthropy traces its roots to philanthrôpia, an ancient Greek term that describes acts of kindness toward human beings. The word is a composite of phileô, meaning “love” in the sense of friendship or affection, and anthrôpos, or “humankind.” The concept of philanthrôpia originated in the myth of Prometheus. Over time, philanthrôpia referred to acts of generosity among people and became associated with a sense of civic duty in Athenian society.
According to myth, Prometheus granted humans mastery over the natural world by sharing fire with them, breaking a cycle of dependence with the gods. Additionally, Prometheus gave human beings the gift of “blind hope,” enabling them to overcome their despair in the face of mortality. These altruistic gestures enraged Zeus, who punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock and dispatching an eagle to devour his liver for eternity. Through his act of self-sacrifice, Prometheus became a martyr for the human race.
In the centuries that followed, the meaning of philanthrôpia expanded. Plato (c. 428-348 BCE) and members of his Academy defined philanthrôpia _as rooted in ideas of education, concern for humanity and purposeful generosity. In his Poetics, Aristotle (384-322 BCE) employed _philanthrôpia to describe a dramatic technique that evokes sympathy for a character in the audience. He also added a moral element to philanthrôpia, which he defined as a feeling of natural solidarity among human beings.
Informed by these philosophical underpinnings, philanthrôpia became one of the cornerstones of self-government in ancient Greece. Citizens of Athens typically described their legal code as philanthropic and democratic. As the practice of giving assumed increasing prominence in Greek society, it became a sign of prestige among wealthy elites, who competed with one another to fund public works. This early philanthropy focused primarily on the arts, such as the construction of theaters and sponsorship of festivals. Later, in the Byzantine Empire, emperors granted tax-exempt status to charitable institutions such as schools and hospitals – a privilege that nonprofit organizations enjoy to this day.
While philanthropic giving has evolved over the centuries, the spirit of self-sacrifice embodied by Prometheus remains a core element of generosity. Characterized by ideals of knowledge, freedom, compassion and giving, philanthrôpia offers a way to contribute to the health of a thriving society.
Contributors: Maha Tazi, Stephen Meyer
| Source type | Full citation | Link (DOI or URL) |
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| Publication |
Bond, Sarah. “Philanthropy in ancient times: some early examples from the Mediterranean”. Free Science Encyclopedia, 2011. |
https://sofii.org/article/philanthropy-in-ancient-times-some-early-examples-from-the-mediterranean |
| Publication |
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| Book |
Hansen, William. Classical Mythology: A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans. Oxford University Press, 2005. |
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| Book |
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| Publication |
Sulek, Marty. “On the Classical Meaning of Philanthrôpía”. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39, No. 3 (2010): 385-408 |
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| Book |
White, Georgina. “The Ethics of Philanthropy”. The European Legacy (2018): 1-2 |
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