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Re:Stanford gets $1.1B for new climate school from John Doerr by metadat on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @05:44PM (#31266243)
Donor behavior such as this comes down to human psychology and neuroscience.

* Tribalism: Humans like people who "are like them", it's easier to relate. Thus, IME, Stanford grads prefer other Stanford-branded people. Or at least crême de la creme Ivy. Especially compared to the plebs and the proles.

* Vanity: Donors find it appealing that the structure will be around for a long time, prominently and proudly emblazoned with the donor's own name. Yes, external validation does feel good. Especially among certain (insecure) types. A truly altruistic and self-assured person makes donations anonymously.

Empire building is a popular pastime among the human species, especially those with power. The rest of us settle for something like Civ, SimCity, or sand castles.

Re:Stanford gets $1.1B for new climate school from John Doerr by ransom1538 on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @05:58PM (#31266397)
People should invest local. I just handed a check to our sons martial arts center. It is used for scholarships for kids that can't afford monthly dues. Every dollar is treasured.
Re:Stanford gets $1.1B for new climate school from John Doerr by strikelaserclaw on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @09:49PM (#31268412)
Yea but it won’t raise your prestige, I mean giving charity to Stanford, one of the top schools in the world, shows everyone how baller you are, and maybe the next 20 generations of Doerrs will get guaranteed admission too
Re:Stanford gets $1.1B for new climate school from John Doerr by B1FF_PSUVM on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @05:55PM (#31266361)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Pompey

Not the first by a long shot.

(Ahem, pyramids ...)