>Rockefeller, like Gates, turn to philanthropy only after public antipathy
>to seemed like it could have adverse consequences.
I don't think that's the whole story. I think people who get stinking rich want to justify their lives somehow - to become significant beyond the world of moneymaking. They want social capital to match their economic capital. It flatters their egos, neutralizes any residual guilt they may suffer from, and they get to determine where they spend the money. They get to go to parties with interesting people. Artists surround them, baying for grants. They're feted as doers of good.
Doug