“The United States is the world’s biggest giver because its ethos of individualism encourages humanitarianism,” argues Lawrence Lindsey in the Financial Times.

“Approximately $1.3bn has been donated to benefit the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. While this is a considerable sum, it is consistent with Americans’ generosity. According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, in 2000 Americans gave $203bn to charitable organisations, or 2 per cent of gross domestic product, far surpassing the contributions of any other nation. Further, those other countries that were runners-up in private philanthropy were nations that share US values and traditions.”

“Why are Americans such big givers? Some say this generosity is merely the outgrowth of the spectacular success of capitalism at wealth creation. And no one should argue with capitalism’s success in generating wealth, or that possessing wealth beyond that required to meet one’s immediate needs makes contributing to humanitarian causes easier.”

“But surely there is more to the link between capitalism and humanitarianism than wealth creation. After all, there are plenty of things one can do with one’s wealth other than contribute it to meeting the needs of others. Humanitarianism rests not just on wealth but on an ethos. And two aspects of the ethos of capitalism – materialism and individualism – are what make humanitarianism possible.”

“Materialism is the belief that the quality of one’s life on earth is important: that life should be more than a daily struggle to meet immediate needs. This is important, for if one does not believe that the material conditions of life are important, no value exists in meeting the material needs of others.”

“The individuals who commandeered the aeroplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon did not think the material conditions of life mattered. Indeed, they did not think life itself mattered. They willingly brought death to themselves and thousands of others and suffering to tens of thousands for a non-material purpose.”

“Indeed, their acts and the rhetoric of their leaders are not just non-material, but anti-material. They believe in tearing down. Capitalism, by contrast, is the ideology of building up; it is the best ethos for making our dreams and aspirations concrete that mankind has ever found. Indeed, “Man Also Rises”, the painting by Frank O’Connor, husband of novelist Ayn Rand, is a rendering of a skyscraper under construction. The symbolism behind our enemy’s choice of targets is profound.”

“So, of course, materialism is also necessary for wealth creation, which in turn makes humanitarian acts possible. But materialism as an ethic, as well as materialism in its substance, is a precondition for meeting the needs of others.”