It seems to me that the threat to civilization isn't the existence of billionaires per se. It is a capitalist system that permits the extreme and obscene concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a comparatively small number of individuals, who are free to use their extreme wealth and power to do as they please with the rest of us. Some of these individuals may be altruistic, while others may be self-serving or psychopathically malevolent. In any case, this extreme concentration of wealth and power is totally at odds with the goals of representative democracy.
It seems to me that the threat to civilization isn't the existence of billionaires per se. It is a capitalist system that permits the extreme and obscene concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a comparatively small number of individuals, who are free to use their extreme wealth and power to do as they please with the rest of us. Some of these individuals may be altruistic, while others may be self-serving or psychopathically malevolent. In any case, this extreme concentration of wealth and power is totally at odds with the goals of representative democracy.
Suggest an alternative system that is as good or better than capitalism at generating progress and improving living standards across the board.