Associate professor of public policy Megan Tompkins-Stange, with Shahmir Aziz, Rhodes Scholar and student, Toby Bowes-Lyon, a Christ Church College student, and Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist Nick Hanauer successfully debated in opposition of the proposition that "modern philanthropy is a tool for reputation laundering" at the Oxford Union, a prestigious debating student-led society at the University of Oxford.
Tompkins-Stange and her colleagues took the position that philanthropy is about generous donations that fuel scientific breakthroughs, cultural institutions, and global development. Tompkins-Stange specifically focused on how, due to the current state of affairs in especially the United States, philanthropy is essential as a check on state power.
"Philanthropy funds the advocacy organizations that protect civil rights in the face of profound violations and violence, the research centers that publish findings the government wants to suppress, and the legal defense nonprofits that represent the most marginalized among us," Tompkins-Stange argued.
She concluded, "You may call modern philanthropy reputation laundering, but I call it the last line of defense."
Proposition speakers, including professors Erica Kohl-Arenas (UC Davis), Robert Larson (Tacoma Community College), Linsey McGoey (University of Essex), and Alice Crary (University of Oxford), took the position that philanthropy today merely permits the wealthy to define society's problems, design their solutions, and cleanse reputations forged through exploitation.
The Oxford Union is the world's most prestigious debating society with a tradition of hosting prominent individuals across politics, academia, and popular culture. The Union is dedicated to upholding the principle of free speech through the exchange and debate of a wide range of ideas and opinions, presented by a diverse range of speakers.
View the full debate on YouTube.
View Tompkins-Stange's portion here.
