Your refusal to acknowledge the fact that both investment philosophies can be very profitable is extremely odd.

Will Gaston, I have a portfolio of college rentals in Clemson, SC, and our experiences and management philosophy seem to be very similar to yours down in Columbia. 

My personal philosophy out here was always that if you were in zone X you were good and flood insurance was not needed.  

After 15 years, this is the first time signicant help has came my way and it is truly a beautiful thing.Helping people out without expecting a quid pro quo is my philosophy.

It was caused by political philosophy gone way bad;  EVERYONE  should own their own home.Sorry, not everyone should own their own home, imho. 

I see real estate as an excellent way to invest my money and someday retire, but I'm also troubled sometimes by the "more, more, more, and more for me" philosophy in REI.

It will differ vastly depending on the individual's financial position and investing philosophy among other factors. 

What else would you expect from a Philosophy major?

Each investor seems to have their own philosophy on what kind of rehab a BRRRR gets versus a flip.  

Each of these CEOs employed basically the philosophy you describe here with unparalleled success (note: Jack Welch is notably NOT among those CEOs who dramatically outperformed to the level of these eight!).