archive

Can “effective altruism” really change the world?

Grant Ramsey (KU Leuven): Can Altruism Be Unified? Judith Lichtenberg on Peter Singer’s extremely altruistic heirs: Forty years after it was written, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” has spawned a radical new movement. Thomas Nagel reviews The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism is Changing Ideas about Living Ethically by Peter Singer and Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference by William MacAskill. Can “effective altruism” really change the world? We must transform the world, not simply make choices that appear to be rational within the current global order. Generous people are happier and healthier, yet acts of kindness are often met with suspicion and scorn — why? These are the charities where your money will do the most good. Andres Gomez Emilsson on how ending suffering is the most important cause. You’ll never guess the most charitable nation in the world.