“Some say the field of philanthropy rests on a fundamental contradiction. It aims to solve social problems and redistribute wealth. Yet it is a product of a system of unequal accumulation, which could be critiqued as causing the problems that philanthropy seeks to solve. Should philanthropy address this contradiction? Can it?”

I wouldn’t agree there’s a contradiction at play.

The poor and wealthy need each other. The slaves need a master. The master needs slaves to build empires. It’s in each other’s best interests to keep each other alive. It’s a symbiotic relationship. It’s a Shepard and his sheep.