Effective altruism, often called ‘EA,’ is closely linked to utilitarian philosophy and calls for donors to carefully scrutinize whether their giving makes an impact.
The term, coined in 2011, refers to people who seek to use their money and time to make as much progress as possible toward solving the world’s most pressing problems.
Longtermism may be derided for focusing on implausible sci-fi scenarios of space colonisation and robot apocalypse, but it raises philosophical questions that are hard to dismiss.
Your great grandchildren are powerless in today’s society, but the things we do now influence them, for better or worse. What happens when we consider them while we make decisions today?
Australians donate around A$2.4 billion to charity each year, but how many lives does that impact? Effective altruism is a social movement focused on maximising the impact of your donated time and money.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford