Philanthrocapitalism
February 29, 2020

I am a wealthy god who cares about the poor.
I’ve built them shopping malls to worship me,
paid for stained-glass windows to let in a little light
filtered in my image, crafted search engines to ask
for things I am too wise to give away:

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philosophy  / poetry  / Politics

Without Context we are Lost, or Why Poems Need Footnotes
November 10, 2019

What if poetry were as recognizable to the general public as commercial jingles (The best part of waking up, is Folger’s in your cup), pop music, or celebrities?

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philosophy  / poetry

The Danger of Corporate Social Responsibility
October 14, 2019

There are those who believe that corporations have but one purpose—to maximize profits. There are those who believe that business must be a force for good, using free-market principles primarily to serve people and the planet—also known as social enterprise.

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Business  / Musings  / philosophy  / Politics

All That Noise Over There – Hong Kong & the Inconvenience of Nonviolent Direct Action
September 15, 2019

Last week I had an interesting and telling experience at a conference, the topic of which was the exciting world of Financial Technology, or “fintech.”

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philosophy  / Politics

Questions On Nike, Colin Kaepernick, and Corporate Social Responsibility
September 9, 2018

I spend a lot thinking about whether or not for profit entities can be relied upon to be forces for social good, if they can be at all (see my post on impact investing, for instance). Thus Nike’s recent decision […]

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Business  / Musings  / philosophy  / Politics

The Problem With Most Impact Investing
September 8, 2018

Imagine I told you that by switching your money from one investment vehicle to another—with the click of a button!—you could not only earn the same return on your investment with the same level of risk as before, but also […]

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Capital Good Fund  / environment  / Musings  / philosophy  / Politics

Perfection
August 4, 2018

I had thought I lacked for time
And spent my days frantic,
As though life were a web
And death a looming spider, his
Approach inexorable, his mouth

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Musings  / philosophy  / poetry

The Problem With the Proverb About Teaching a Man to Fish
July 28, 2018

We’ve all heard the Chinese proverb, “Give a poor [wo]man a fish and you feed her for a day. You teach her to fish and you give her an occupation that will feed her for a lifetime.” It’s a great concept, one that is popular with those who are more free market-oriented–they like the notion of hand-me-ups instead of hand-outs–as well as with those who tend toward socialism, as they like the idea of empowering the poor.

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Business  / Capital Good Fund  / philosophy

Can Love Trump Hate?
July 22, 2018

This is an oversimplification, but one way to think about the Civil Rights Movement, especially from the mid-to-late 1960s, is that there were two philosophical approaches: Dr. King’s faith-based, inclusive, nonviolent strategy; and Malcom X’s Black Power, “the bullet or the ballot,” movement.

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philosophy  / Politics

Purpose
July 16, 2017

There is something to be said for purpose,
Is there not?
The lilac tempts the bee,
The politician seeks the voters’ approbation,
The poet pursues greatness;

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philosophy  / poetry