What is Effective Altruism?
How do you help when there are just too many problems to solve?
Imagine you have a hundred dollars in your pocket and you want to make a difference in the world. You could donate to a charity that focuses on global poverty, or you could support a cause that seeks to reduce animal suffering. Or perhaps you want to tackle climate change or work towards reducing the risk of a catastrophic event. With so many worthy causes to choose from, how do you decide where to invest your time and money to have the biggest impact? This is where effective altruism comes in. It’s not just about giving to a specific charity or cause, but about using evidence and reason to find the best ways to make a difference in the world.
But why does it matter to care about the world beyond our immediate surroundings? The answer is simple: we are all interconnected, and global problems affect us all. Climate change, poverty, disease, and inequality are just a few examples of the challenges that require our attention and action.
One of the most common misconceptions about effective altruism is that it is solely about donating money to evidence-backed global poverty charities. This view suggests that the moral obligation to donate as much money as possible is the core idea of effective altruism. However, this is not the case. The core idea of effective altruism is not about any specific way of doing good, but rather about finding the most effective ways of contributing to the common good.
The principle of effective altruism suggests that some ways of contributing to the common good are far more effective than others. The idea is that ‘best’ is far better than ‘pretty good,’ and that seeking out the best will allow us to have a far greater impact. This principle can be compared to the 80/20 principle applied to doing good. While donating to global health charities is one way of doing good, effective altruism goes beyond that. Many people interested in effective altruism focus on different issues, such as seeking to help future generations by reducing global catastrophic risks or reducing animal suffering by ending factory farming.
Those interested in effective altruism pose the question of how they can best contribute with what they are willing to use to help others, rather than how they should answer that question. Effective altruism is a project that aims to find the best ways to help others and put them into practice. It is a research field that aims to identify the world’s most pressing problems and the best solutions to them, as well as a practical community that aims to use those findings to do good.
Effective altruism can be defined by four key values: prioritization, impartial altruism, open truth-seeking, and collaborative spirit. Prioritization means finding the best ways to help rather than just working to make any difference at all. Impartial altruism means giving everyone’s interests equal weight, no matter where or when they live. Open truth-seeking requires putting serious time into deliberation and reflection on one’s beliefs, being constantly open and curious for new evidence and arguments, and being ready to change one’s views quite radically. Collaborative spirit means it’s possible to achieve more by working together, and doing this effectively requires high standards of honesty, friendliness, and a community perspective. Effective altruism is not about ‘ends justify the means’ reasoning, but rather about being a good citizen while ambitiously working toward a better world.
Other common misconceptions about effective altruism is that it is only about fighting poverty. While poverty alleviation is a core focus of those in the effective altruism community, it is just one part of the concept. Effective altruism is cause-neutral and means-neutral, meaning that it is open in principle to focusing on any problem and using any means to address it. In every case, the criterion is just what activity will do the most good.
Imagine a person named Sarah who understands the principles of effective altruism. Sarah is passionate about animal welfare and is considering volunteering at her local animal shelter. However, after researching the most effective ways to improve animal welfare, she discovers that donating to organizations that advocate for animal rights may have a greater impact than her time spent volunteering.
Since she knows about effective altruism, Sarah is able to make a more informed decision and choose the most effective way to make a difference. By applying the principles of effective altruism to her decision, she found a way to achieve her goal of improving animal welfare in the most effective way possible.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! If you’re interested in getting involved with effective altruism, we’d love for you to visit the official effective altruism website and see how you can make a positive impact today!👍🏼💡🌍
