Difference between revisions of "Effective Altruism"
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Effective altruism is a relatively new philosophical ideology and social movement centered around the question: how do we use evidence and reasoning to best improve the lives of others? [CITE MAC] At the forefront of this movement is the philosopher Peter Singer [CITE HIS NAME]. He theorizes that because we are able to do good, we are morally obligated to [CITE BBC]. He goes further in this thinking and says that we can more effectively make a difference with our money by donating to international causes where smaller amounts of money can save more lives [CITE BBC]. He argues that because of the technology we have these days, we can reach any corner of the world with the click of a button, making it easier to give back. Effective altruism’s research and ease of use is all due to technology. | Effective altruism is a relatively new philosophical ideology and social movement centered around the question: how do we use evidence and reasoning to best improve the lives of others? [CITE MAC] At the forefront of this movement is the philosopher Peter Singer [CITE HIS NAME]. He theorizes that because we are able to do good, we are morally obligated to [CITE BBC]. He goes further in this thinking and says that we can more effectively make a difference with our money by donating to international causes where smaller amounts of money can save more lives [CITE BBC]. He argues that because of the technology we have these days, we can reach any corner of the world with the click of a button, making it easier to give back. Effective altruism’s research and ease of use is all due to technology. | ||
Revision as of 00:22, 12 March 2021
Effective altruism is a relatively new philosophical ideology and social movement centered around the question: how do we use evidence and reasoning to best improve the lives of others? [CITE MAC] At the forefront of this movement is the philosopher Peter Singer [CITE HIS NAME]. He theorizes that because we are able to do good, we are morally obligated to [CITE BBC]. He goes further in this thinking and says that we can more effectively make a difference with our money by donating to international causes where smaller amounts of money can save more lives [CITE BBC]. He argues that because of the technology we have these days, we can reach any corner of the world with the click of a button, making it easier to give back. Effective altruism’s research and ease of use is all due to technology.
Contents
What effective altruists do
One of the main focuses of effective altruism is charity and non-profit impact research [CITE ATLANTIC]. To make the biggest impact on others lives one can donate money to a charity. All charities strive to make a difference but some of them have a bigger impact than others. Effective altruists seek charities that are highly cost-effective and ones that are making progress towards their goals. This can be assessed through impact evaluations. Technological tools such as statistical software and algorithms allow groups to analyze the impact of their work. There are many organizations devoted to analyzing charity impacts, such as GiveWell [CITE SITE].
What can an average person do to participate?
An average person can donate money to the most effective charities recommended by GiveWell. William MacAskill [CITE PERSON], who has written many foundational texts for the movement, started a non-profit called 80,000 hours [CITE SITE] that gives people career advice on how to make an impact on others through their work. An important notion within the movement is the push to “earn to give”, meaning to seek a high paying job doing whatever to be able to donate more money to effective causes [CITE E2G]. This is one way anyone can make an individual impact. The movement has grown a lot in the tech field as many tech startups have taken an EA Founder’s pledge [CITE F], promising a proportion of the company’s future profits to go towards effective giving.
Ethical Concerns
Measurable Interventions
Effective altruism promotes many charities and causes that have demonstrated technological research of their impact. Many critique that the movements focus on measurable change and data analysis is too narrow. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is concerned that this focus on the impact of individual medicine counts isn’t easily comparable to an organization focused on creating stronger institutions (to prevent corruption, tyranny, and war) through numbers. Charity evaluator’s algorithms can’t easily analyze their impacts so these causes are simply ignored or undervalued which is a large oversight in Gobry’s view.
Moral Offsetting
In the same article, Gobry raises another issue with effective altruism. The notion of “earn to give” in Gobry’s eyes can encourage a sense of moral offsetting. For example, “the implication seems to be that taking a high-paying job selling fraudulent mortgage-backed securities is more praiseworthy than taking a low-paying job at the local homeless shelter, so long as one buys enough anti-malarial bed nets” [CITE AGAIN]. Encouraging young people, looking for a way to make a positive and technically effective impact, to continue contributing to harmful institutions is a step backwards to Gobry.
Structural Change
There are many critics of the Effective Altruism movement and it’s notion of impactful giving. Anand Giridharadas voices many critiques in his book, “Winners Take All” [CITE BOOK] about how the movement doesn't do enough to tackle structural change and how its message may actually have a negative impact. He says, “ by rejecting the idea that the powerful might have to sacrifice for the common good, it clings to a set of social arrangements that allow [the rich] to monopolize progress and then give symbolic scraps to the forsaken—many of whom wouldn’t need the scraps if the society were working right.”[CITE AGAIN]. He makes points about how the top 10% are in control of these movements who tend to lean away from changing structures that benefit them; when structural change could be one of the most effective ways to improve lives and lessen poverty. He argues that the movement doesn’t do enough to embrace that idea and actively works against it. He thinks technology has allowed for this movement to form, and tech movements could also be used to change the message.
