Is effective altruism a good idea? Supporters advocate using evidence-based reasoning to maximise good and mitigate long-term threats to humanity. Is this just too neat?
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The new philosophy you need to know now
Is effective altruism a good idea? Supporters advocate using evidence-based reasoning to maximise good and mitigate long-term threats to humanity. Is this just too neat?
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US midterm electionsElections are held halfway through each US president's four-year term. All the seats in the House of Representatives and some in the Senate are up for grabs. are often a dull affair. Turnout is low, and many people use them to give whichever party is in power a good kicking - just to remind them who is boss. But this time, in the north-west corner of the country, something more interesting is happening.
A young lawyer named Carrick Flynn is running for Congress in OregonA state on the north-west coast of the USA. It is one of the most geographically diverse states, with volcanoes, huge lakes, vast forests and deserts.. And he is proposing a new way of doing politics, based on the principles of effective altruism.
The effective altruism movement began in the 2000s, partly inspired by the work of utilitarian philosopher Peter SingerAn Australian moral philosopher who is perhaps the world's best-known advocate of utilitarianism. Some of his views are controversial and he has been accused of advocating eugenics..
It is founded on the principle that each individual has the same worth. As such, we should give to those who are most in need, no matter how far away or culturally different from us they might be.
Followers of the movement seek to maximise the efficiency of their time and money. They assess the relative importance of different charitable causes and donate only to the most important. And they calculate how much of the money they give to a particular charity will actually go towards the cause they favour.
In recent years, effective altruists have been trying to make more of an impact on the political stage. Now, Flynn is seeking to bring its ideas to the heart of government. He has received millions in backing from Sam Bankman-FriedAn American entrepreneur who was the youngest billionaire in the world. He had pledged to give most of his wealth to charity across his life, before being arrested on fraud charges., a cryptocurrency billionaire who is also a devotee of effective altruism.
Some are enthusiastic about Flynn's run. They think his data-driven approach to doing good will help direct Congress towards better outcomes.
But it is not always easy to tell at first glance whether one cause is more important than another, or which charities spend their money most effectively. As a result, companies have sprung up to calculate the impact of different causes on behalf of wealthy philanthropists.
Some ask exactly how much good it does to have so many people dedicated entirely to working out what causes are better than others.
And they think it can lead to some dubious calculations. Bankman-Fried has chosen to use a lot of his money not on charitable causes, but on funding for a political candidate who agrees with him.
Others suggest effective altruism is not really altruistic at all. They think it is wrong to see each individual as an identical unit. It is natural, they say, for human beings to form attachments to particular groups of people, and it is more authentically good for them to help those people rather than base their actions on a cold calculation of the impacts.
Whatever the merits of effective altruism, Flynn's approach will certainly bring him into conflict with others in Congress.
The business of politics is based not on quick, rational calculation, but on painstaking negotiation between different interests and points of view. Politicians do not seek the best possible outcome, but the least divisive compromise.
It remains to be seen whether Flynn's new, data-driven politics can change the way governments have been run for thousands of years.
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Is effective altruism a good idea?
Yes: It is estimated that $46bn has been donated through effective altruism. It encourages people both to think about how to use their money, and to give more.
No: Data cannot tell us how to be good people, and people are not identical units of happiness or unhappiness. We should rely on our instincts to tell us how to do good in the world.
Or... Only you can decide if you want to do good for a particular cause or work with a certain charity. But effective altruism can help you do the most possible good within that cause.
Keywords
Midterm elections - Elections are held halfway through each US president's four-year term. All the seats in the House of Representatives and some in the Senate are up for grabs.
Oregon - A state on the north-west coast of the USA. It is one of the most geographically diverse states, with volcanoes, huge lakes, vast forests and deserts.
Peter Singer - An Australian moral philosopher who is perhaps the world's best-known advocate of utilitarianism. Some of his views are controversial and he has been accused of advocating eugenics.
Sam Bankman-Fried - An American entrepreneur who was the youngest billionaire in the world. He had pledged to give most of his wealth to charity across his life, before being arrested on fraud charges.
The new philosophy you need to know now
Glossary
Midterm elections - Elections are held halfway through each US president’s four-year term. All the seats in the House of Representatives and some in the Senate are up for grabs.
Oregon - A state on the north-west coast of the USA. It is one of the most geographically diverse states, with volcanoes, huge lakes, vast forests and deserts.
Peter Singer - An Australian moral philosopher who is perhaps the world’s best-known advocate of utilitarianism. Some of his views are controversial and he has been accused of advocating eugenics.
Sam Bankman-Fried - An American entrepreneur who was the youngest billionaire in the world. He had pledged to give most of his wealth to charity across his life, before being arrested on fraud charges.