Carnegie believed that inequality is a reflection of the natural world order, a demonstration of the obvious principles of survival of the fittest and the development of the most capable. However, he said, ultimately, wealth belongs to the society that helped create it. He suggested that business owners should not consider themselves as owners, but as managers, as capital working for the benefit of society, thus defining the concept of corporate social responsibility.
Carnegie invested $ 350 million in social programs and built more than 200 public libraries, and founded the Carnegie Endowment.