This is a great post—thanks, Frances! This comes up a lot in my conversations about EA, and I really appreciate the clarity you’ve brought to it.
One line that really stood out to me was:
“And shouldn’t everyone have the organs that they so desperately need?”
I think it can be useful to acknowledge that the answer to this question is a clear yes. When I talk to people about triage, I always try to acknowledge that, ideally, we wouldn’t have to make these trade-offs at all. Our ultimate goal isn’t to help only those above a certain threshold—it’s to help everyone.
We prioritise not because we think some lives matter more, but because we wish we could help everyone.
This is a great post—thanks, Frances! This comes up a lot in my conversations about EA, and I really appreciate the clarity you’ve brought to it.
One line that really stood out to me was:
I think it can be useful to acknowledge that the answer to this question is a clear yes. When I talk to people about triage, I always try to acknowledge that, ideally, we wouldn’t have to make these trade-offs at all. Our ultimate goal isn’t to help only those above a certain threshold—it’s to help everyone.
We prioritise not because we think some lives matter more, but because we wish we could help everyone.