Patrons rarely tell their protégés what to think or say; most patrons are not that crude, and few artists or intellectuals want to be pushed around. Rather, patrons seek out groups and individuals with congenial views and strengthen them with moral, logistical, and financial support.208 They fund things that interest them, and so ideas that suit the rich are more likely to thrive than those that suit the poor. In this way, patronage by exceptionally wealthy individuals or organizations may act as a kind of unnatural selection, ensuring that the ideas they select come to the forefront of a
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