Executive summary: This exploratory essay argues that Christian ethics and effective altruism are fundamentally aligned, asserting that scripture strongly supports the core tenets of giving generously, effectively, and globally—suggesting that Christians have a moral and religious duty to adopt effective altruist principles.
Key points:
Core alignment: The author contends that there is no principled conflict between Christianity and effective altruism; the disconnect is sociological rather than ideological or theological.
Scriptural basis for generosity: Numerous Bible passages emphasize giving generously to the poor—both as a moral ideal and a religious duty—mirroring EA’s call to give significantly (e.g. 10% or more of income).
Biblical support for effectiveness: The call to love one’s neighbor as oneself and act prudently supports the EA emphasis on using evidence to determine how to help others most effectively.
Moral obligation to help foreigners: Through examples like the Parable of the Good Samaritan and Old Testament laws about foreigners, the author argues that Christian ethics support prioritizing global giving, as EA recommends.
Golden Rule implications: Applying the Golden Rule universally—treating others’ needs with the same weight as one’s own—leads naturally to effective and impartial giving, including to distant strangers.
Call to action for Christians: The author concludes that devout Christians ought to become effective altruists, and that the perception of discord between the groups is misleading and unfortunate.
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Executive summary: This exploratory essay argues that Christian ethics and effective altruism are fundamentally aligned, asserting that scripture strongly supports the core tenets of giving generously, effectively, and globally—suggesting that Christians have a moral and religious duty to adopt effective altruist principles.
Key points:
Core alignment: The author contends that there is no principled conflict between Christianity and effective altruism; the disconnect is sociological rather than ideological or theological.
Scriptural basis for generosity: Numerous Bible passages emphasize giving generously to the poor—both as a moral ideal and a religious duty—mirroring EA’s call to give significantly (e.g. 10% or more of income).
Biblical support for effectiveness: The call to love one’s neighbor as oneself and act prudently supports the EA emphasis on using evidence to determine how to help others most effectively.
Moral obligation to help foreigners: Through examples like the Parable of the Good Samaritan and Old Testament laws about foreigners, the author argues that Christian ethics support prioritizing global giving, as EA recommends.
Golden Rule implications: Applying the Golden Rule universally—treating others’ needs with the same weight as one’s own—leads naturally to effective and impartial giving, including to distant strangers.
Call to action for Christians: The author concludes that devout Christians ought to become effective altruists, and that the perception of discord between the groups is misleading and unfortunate.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.