I came across an assertion that “My impression is that earning to give is no longer very highly recommended, and EA is no longer seen as very funding constrained.” (source) It references a recent 80k report which I read through but don’t know enough to fully evaluate.
I find this assertion to be really confusing. Does it mean that I should no longer give to Against Malaria Foundation or similar organizations, because funding for them is already abundant?
I’m a newcomer to this forum, not particularly well read in EA texts and ignorant of anything going on in what is called the EA community. But I have been giving to AMF and similar organizations at the expense of donations that could have made an impact in my local community. I would like to figure out if this is sensible. Thanks!
Quick response. That is not what it means. 80k’s priorities have shifted towards caring about the long term survival and flourishing of humanity. They are particularly concerned with risk from artificial intelligence that may not be well aligned with sentient life. In those areas some argue that it is very unclear what is worth funding, and the priority has been to try to get people to work in particular career and research areas.
However the Givewell global health and well-being charities, as well as other charities in this area (like fistula surgery etc) are still extremely effective at helping people survive and reduce their suffering. They are far more effective per dollar in this sense than charities that operate in wealthier countries.
There is still a very strong case for supporting these charities, particularly if you are concerned with reducing human suffering and helping people that are alive today. (I won’t get into the discussion of population ethics here.)
I hope this helps.
Yes, this is enlightening, thanks. The 80k article wasn’t clear that they were talking about longtermism to the exclusion of more old-school EA priorities, and you make this clear.
I think a recent post has a good discussion on this topic: “EA needs money more than ever”