ARGUING YES
Renowned Philosopher; Author of “The Most Good You Can Do”; Professor of Bioethics at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University
ARGUING NO
Co-Editor of “The Good it Promises, The Harm it Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism”; University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- New episode: Is effective altruism the new model to follow when giving to charity?
- A closer look at the reasons Americans donate to charity
- Your Sunday reading list
Sam Bankman-Fried. Elon Musk. Dustin Moskovitz. These high-profile figures have one belief system in common: effective altruism (E.A.), a movement that has taken the philanthropic world by storm.
In E.A., data and reason are used to ask the question “How can we best use our resources to help others, do the most good, and solve the world’s most pressing problems?” From there, donations are given to “high impact” causes such as preventing malaria, animal welfare, and risks to humanity’s survival over the long-term future. However, a growing number of skeptics say that determining the impact of giving for a charitable cause is subjective and the movement places too much weight on what will help future generations thrive instead of people living today who need help.
This week’s debaters have been at the forefront of effective altruism’s impact on society. Arguing yes is renowned philosopher Peter Singer, who is deeply involved in supporting the effective altruism movement and the author of “The Most Good You Can Do”. Arguing no is The New School professor Alice Crary, who co-edited the book about effective altruism outlining its potential harms, titled “The Good It Promises, The Harm It Does”.
Effective Altruism’s Growing Influence:
- In 2023, effective altruists raised over four hundred million dollars for funding various causes.
- Over 150 universities worldwide have student-run E.A. groups, including elite universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins.
- Some effective altruists pledge to donate an average of 10% of their income to effective charities. For example, members of the organization Giving What We Can have raised $2.5 billion in pledges.
Is effective altruism the best way forward to make sure the causes we support are doing the most good? Listen to the debate now on Apple Podcasts, WNYC and YouTube. As always, let us know what you think.
DEBATING THE DATA
Why Do People Donate to a Good Cause?
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Does Effective Altruism Get Giving Right?
YES: Peter Singer
“The general ideas of effective altruism do get things right, and those general ideas are very simple. Effective altruism essentially has two components. The first component is altruism, that is, we ought to live so as to make the world a better place. One of our major goals in life should be to contribute to making the world better. The effective altruism movement encourages people to think about those goals and make them part of their own lives. Then there’s the ‘effective’ part of it. Very often, when people do act altruistically, they do it impulsively. They don’t really think ‘Is this the best that I can do with my money?’ Effective altruists say: get some evidence… Just as you would do research before making a large purchase — a new phone, a car — do some research.”
NO: Alice Crary
“Effective altruism’s failures are so great that it should be abandoned… Effective altruism’s fans describe it as a reason- and evidence-based guide to doing good, but its notions of reason and evidence aren’t commonsensical… Human lives are more complicated than effective altruists tell us… Some interventions that effective altruists long touted as ‘doing the most good’ might be more harmful than beneficial. They neglect the political roots of misery and injustice, and so fail to address the reproduction of misery and injustice.”
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