Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
I grew up in India. During my childhood, it was still a protectionist country. It was poor then; more so than it is now - if that's even possible.
My grandfather owned a Fiat. It looked like a car from the 1940s. We had an Indian Car company - Ambassador - which made little replicas of Fiats from that era. No foreign car makers were allowed in those days in India. So Ambassador continued making Forties-looking cars well into the 1980s. There was no Coca Cola in India, there was just a local brand called "Thumbs Up!" (yes, with the exclamation). I could go into the details of the local chalky toothpaste and other products, but I will spare you the details.
Then came the 1980s, where India started opening up to foreign competition. Two icons made a huge impact on the country.
The first one was Mother Teresa. Selfless and merciful, she spent her entire life devoted to taking care of the poor and the sick. She personally helped thousands. She increased awareness of HIV/AIDS. She brought foreign aid to India. She was a truly noble woman who sacrificed her life helping other people.
The second is Bill Gates. Bill Gates could probably care less about India or Indians. But he revolutionized the world by pulling personal computer out of the hobby market and into every small business, and by making software profitable. How did he help the Indians? Well, for one, we discovered that, for some odd reason, we are good at IT. India could produce educated, English-speaking engineers by the thousands and help multinational companies run their business for much cheaper than the West.
Suddenly, the Indian standard of living rose. No one buys Ambassadors anymore. Coca Cola is readily available and every multinational company wants a piece of Indian consumer business. Tata is now manufacturing the cheapest car in the world - the Nano. Because every Indian deserves a car.
So the question I have is - who helped India more? Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
One was a deliberate, sacrificial, noble, intentional life spent in the service of fellow human beings. The other was a mostly selfish venture to increase value and self-worth, that ended up lifting the standards of not only Indians but the entire world; indeed, it ended up adding value and self-worth for most of the humans alive today.
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Jul '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Tough question since it's apples and oranges. Mother Theresa for the consciousness and caring as well as the salvation if one is so inclined(and I am Inclined). Gates for standard of living and economic opportunity which has likely reached more people. The river of kindness that flows from Theresa is tough to quantify but it is massive.
Aug '12
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Who helped Indians the most?
Neither Gates or Mother Teresa.
Indians helped themselves the most.
May '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Gates, no question.
Jul '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
I agree with those of you who have pointed out that Indians being entrepreneurial definitely is a great contributing factor in the success of India.
However, it is not culture, I would argue, that makes the nation great. It is the right political circumstances. Independence helped, as did dismantling protectionism.
There is a difference between North and South Korea due to political reasons, not cultural.
But in the end, free markets help a nation acquire value (as in material), and as a result of it, will ultimately also help acquire intangible values.
There is a reason the Western world does not riot and behead following "Piss Christ" exhibition.
Inner cities riot, rich suburban neighborhoods don't.
Mar '12
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Barkha: Inner cities riot, rich suburban neighborhoods don't.
I do believe that it is culture which affects the riots and the beheadings. I believe it is culture which causes huge numbers of abortions. I believe it is culture which causes Western nations to decline in population as the peoples of those c0untries contracept and abort.
There are poor people who don't riot or behead. There are rich people who still have large families. The cultures of those poor and those rich have room for life, and produce life. They are not looking for death and destruction.
It is a moral issue in culture which produces children, or denies them. It is a moral issue in culture which produces beheadings and riots.
It is a moral issue in culture.
Nov '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
It depends on if you focus on quantity or quality of help. Bill Gates undoubtedly affected more people, but his contributions amounted to making better the luives people already had. Mother Theresa outright saved lives. Who knows how many people were able to enjoy Gates's contributions because of Theresa?
Nov '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Barkha dear, have you been reading Ayn Rand?
Jul '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
I read her books in my early teens... I am just reminiscing now...
Feb '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Ross Conatser: I think it is a false choice though ....
I would prefer the question, which does more good, altruism or self-interest?
Got it right and then let it slip away. Altruism and self-interest are motivations, and may lead to either good or ill. The advantage of self-interest is, assuming you really know what's in your interest, it will at least benefit you. Whether anyone will benefit (at least in this world) from you altruistic actions is less certain (particularly in the long-term).
Motivations may be relevant to the quality of Mother Teresa's and Bill Gate's characters, but not to the consequences of their actions. As others have noted, both had good consequences for India, although in very different ways. Hence the false choice.
Oct '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
I don't think Bill Gates should be given credit for expanding the PC market. After all, he forcibly captured the market and forced terrible software down all our throats for over a decade.
Still, foreign investment is definitely a good thing, as is comparative advantage. I'm not someone who resent Indian engineers either; I work in software engineering, and I think the competition is good for us. After all, if we software engineers want to maintain high wages, we have to figure out ways to increase our productivity.
Nov '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Barkha Herman
I read her books in my early teens... I am just reminiscing now... · 1 hour ago
Always a good thing to reminisce about.
Apr '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
False dichotomy in many ways. Both of them contributed to satisfying human needs in India.
As you say, Gates didn't care about any Indians. If the digital economy that he helped build had passed India by, he might have mourned the lost revenue (but how much revenue would India yielded, anyway?). Gates didn't help India. The Indian people reached out and took the economic opportunity (with a leg up from the heritage of the Raj).
One hundred years from now we can compare Gates's and Mother Teresa's contributions. Against Gates we will have to chalk the material and moral ills that affluence brings. I doubt that Daughters of Charity houses will have any downside.
Jul '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
@Grendel -
So why support capitalism if "affluence" brings "material and moral decay"? Should we opt for a christian socialist state? Socialism is the fastest way of "equalizing" wealth. If we add Christianity - force everyone to be "saved" - do we have your Utopia?
Apr '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Is "good" really quantitative. Is it always better to help many people or just one? I personally take the view that if you are damned equally for killing one man as for killing one hundred, surely you are equally saved by helping one man as helping one hundred.
The world can always use more people either filled with limitless compassion or with business acumen. Maybe if we are parasitically lucky we might get some one filled with both, but that seems unlikely.
May '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Barkha Herman: @Grendel -
So why support capitalism if "affluence" brings "material and moral decay"? Should we opt for a christian socialist state? Socialism is the fastest way of "equalizing" wealth. If we add Christianity - force everyone to be "saved" - do we have your Utopia? · 2 hours ago
Free market capitalism is better than the economic alternatives.
Christianity can't be forced.
Aug '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
The question to ask is "who opened up the society to end protectionism and begin to practice free market enterprise?"
Those people did the initial good. They were the catalyst. Bill Gates, and World Com, are only opportunities that became available to the Indian people.
Take Bharti as a corporate example. It went from making bicycle parts to being a large telecommunications conglomerate and is continuing to expand. Heck, they've even partnered with Walmart.
That didn't require Bill Gates, but it did require a rejection of socialism and protectionism.
Mother Teresa did her best and gave a gift to the world through her example, but how do you quantify that? She did the work that could be done in the circumstances of the time, imagine the work that someone who combined Christian sacrifice and charity with the ability to influence people down the free market and freedom path.
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Interesting thread. If I may parse the prompt a bit, it seems to me that Gates undoubtedly did more to advance the material well-being of Indians while Mother Theresa offered an immeasurably greater personal sacrifice. Because of the volition involved, we (rightly, in my judgment) tend to think more highly of the latter contribution. even though its fruits were perhaps not as tangible or expansive.
May '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
Barkha, I would like to turn the question back to you with a twist. I believe that the prosperity of India is inversely proportional to role of the caste system in societal interactions in India. I suspect that capitalism has done more to alter the caste system than Christianity but I would be interested if you agree with me that the lessening influence of caste is critical in the future prosperity of India and if you think that that might be a big part of the influence of capitalism.
Edited on September 21, 2012 at 1:52amNov '10
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
I met Bill Gates once, at a small lunch in Seattle. He told the folks at the table he'd answer any question they asked about his life, his business, his philanthropy. One guy asked what the underlying principals were behind his foundation. Bill said there were 20 diseases in the world that if prevented or cured would eliminate 80% of the suffering. He felt that he was uniquely positioned to help doctors in poor countries gain access to medical information that would help do just that. From that short lunch, I concluded that Bill Gates probably could care less about India. A lot less.
Mother Theresa was a great woman, but who has helped India more, in practical terms? I vote for Bill, if I'm pressed to give an answer.
Jan '11
Re: Mother Teresa or Bill Gates?
katievs: Mother Teresa.
No question. · Sep 19 at 6:31am
There is question.
My opinion.
I'm not alone .