EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM

In episode 54, we take a look at Effective Altruism. Why has this approach to philanthropy based on utilitarian philosophy gained so many admirers - and so many critics - over the last few years? Including:

• What is Effective Altruism (EA)?
• How is it informing new approaches to philanthropy?
• Why are so many tech philanthropists EA advocates?
• Could the emergence of data-drive, AI approaches to philanthropy put EA in the driving seat?
• What is the historical lineage of Utilitarian thinking?
• What role did religion play in giving birth to the idea that philanthropy needs to be effective?
• How did the Charity Organization Society and the Scientific Philanthropy movements take this idea forward, and are they the intellectual forebears of EA?
• What, if anything, is genuinely new about EA?
• Is EA merely theoretical because it doesn't reflect how philanthropy actually works or what motivates donors?
• Does the focus on outcomes come at the expense of other considerations such as justice, democracy or individual agency?
• Do EA metrics favour short-term, tangible interventions over longer-term campaigns for social change?
• Does EA dictate working within existing structures and systems, rather than driving the reforms to those structures and systems that many believe are needed for real change?
• Does EA lead to a bias against local giving in favour of giving overseas? And can this have unintended consequences in terms of how other perceive us?
• Existential threats and "Pascal's Mugging"