Big Think

Well I’d have to . . . I’d have to say that I’m really interested multisectorial approaches to problems. And I think that one of the problems we have is that we tend to compartmentalize. And of course, you know, one of the biggest in challenges in philanthropic terms, is anybody who’s giving any money away – whether it’s, you know, whether it’s me tithing myself, or a foundation trying to decide how to disperse its resources needs to be strategic in terms of its investment. So the tendency is to try to focus your investments very thoughtfully and strategically in given areas. And I understand that, but at the same time part of the problem we face, as I said earlier, is compartmentalization. So for example, I think what Larry Brilliant is talking about at Google.org is very interesting. And if you haven’t spoken to him I think you ought to, because they’re looking at poverty, health and the environment. And they’re looking at the intersections between those three problems which are, of course, inextricably intertwined. And I think it would be a big mistake to focus exclusively on health without look at poverty and the environment. So what I would say is that if I . . . You know for some reason I did decide and was offered the opportunity to think about how to spend a lot of the philanthropic dollars, I would want to be looking at intersectionality. And I would want to be looking at comprehensive solutions to some of the most pressing problems we’re facing. Recorded on: 8/13/07

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