Effective Altruism
Effective altruism (EA) is a philosophical and social movement that aims to use evidence and careful reasoning to work out how to do the most good, and to act on the answer through charitable giving and career choice. It grew out of a community of philosophers and donors in Oxford in the late 2000s, drawing on the ideas of the ethicist Peter Singer.[1]
History
In November 2009, the Oxford philosopher Toby Ord, his wife Bernadette Young and William MacAskill launched Giving What We Can, a society whose members pledge to give a share of their income to the most effective charities.[1] In 2011, Giving What We Can and the careers organization 80,000 Hours formed an umbrella body, and members voted to call it the Centre for Effective Altruism, which gave the movement its name.[2]
The movement's main cause areas have been global health and poverty, animal welfare, and the reduction of existential risks, particularly from advanced artificial intelligence. Concern for the far future led some within it to develop longtermism.[3]
The movement drew wide criticism after the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022. Its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, had been one of EA's most prominent donors, and in March 2024 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud.[4] Critics also group EA with related ideologies under the label TESCREAL.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Our history". Giving What We Can. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- ↑ William MacAskill. "The history of the term 'effective altruism'". Effective Altruism Forum. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- ↑ William MacAskill. "Longtermism". Effective Altruism Forum. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- ↑ March 28, 2024. "Samuel Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years For His Orchestration Of Multiple Fraudulent Schemes". U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- ↑ Timnit Gebru and Émile P. Torres (April 2024). "The TESCREAL bundle: Eugenics and the promise of utopia through artificial general intelligence". First Monday. Retrieved November 11, 2026.