I think it&#x27;s good to have both. Philanthropy of rich guy means three things:<p>1. He can afford really good advisers. Democratically elected can be good. But they might be good at campaigning and only get selected because of party status.<p>2. He can afford to monitor charities closely. And enforce legal action if they fuck around. When you invest several millions, you probably take care that they reach the destination. If you just pay little taxes that go everywhere and you also have day job, much slimmer chance.<p>3. These individuals could fund projects that in the future give back to whole humanity. But such projects aren&#x27;t always popular with the public in the start.