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Dilbert author Scott Adams has some great suggestions for a fun way to spend some quality time with your family this holiday season. Since it should work even better with technology enthusiasts, I'll shamelessly copy his idea here.
Ask your friends or family the following question:
Who is holier – Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
No doubt Mother Teresa is a saint (although not officially, according to the Catholic church).
But Bill Gates' billions have saved many more lives – enough to finally make him the Time person of the year in 2005.
The question boils down to: can you justify committing a small crime (stifle competition and equip the world's computers with highly insecure software) to do a great good (use your gains to save and improve lives)?
Mind you that some of history's great philanthropists (think John Insley Blair, Andrew Carnegie or John Davison Rockefeller) made their fortunes as devoted capitalists: using unscrupulous business tactics and making money off the backs of underpaid and overworked employees.
History tends to be gentle on bad businessmen doing good.
But really, who do you think is holier?
Tags: bill gates, mother theresa, scott adams
29 Dec 2005
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