WHILE BUSINESS AND political leaders were deliberating on global issues at the World Economic Forum in January, high above them in a mountainside chalet a different kind of gathering was taking place. Philosopher Lou Marinoff, novelist Paulo Coelho, International Crisis Group president Gareth Evans, and Rockefeller Foundation president Gordon Conway were gathered with a small group of the world's wealthiest individuals to discuss the effects on them of decisions of those conferring down the mountain in Davos.
In their secluded hut, the group, whose collective wealth amounted to more than $20 billion, reflected for two days on the social responsibilities of the rich. They posed themselves a question – how could they make the world a better place through their wealth? They drafted mission statements on how they would deal with threats such as the widespread flooding projected to overwhelm large parts of the globe by 2020. They painted a mural...
