Getting Creative and the Power of Ought

This is a great Wall Street Journal article about Bill Gates' recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

In his speech, Gates calls for 'Creative Capitalism,' citing that our current capitalist structures only benefit the better-off throughout the world. He notices that Adam Smith, who many deem the father of the free market system, believed that such a system works well because people derive a great deal of pleasure from helping others. And, if this desire can be met via a system in which people also create wealth for themselves, we'll have a better economic system than we do now.

Gates' best line:

The idea that you encourage companies to take their innovative thinkers and think about the most needy -- even beyond the market opportunities -- that's something that appropriately ought to be done.

Gates' prescription for this new kind of creative capitalism calls for companies to innovate for the bottom half of the pyramid, just as they do the top half. This is not a new idea in itself, as many other thinkers, authors, philanthropists and capitalists have laid this groundwork already.

Regardless, this 4-minute video is worth watching:


How can you get creative today in order to benefit someone else?