Executive summary: While most individuals cannot singlehandedly solve major global issues like malaria, climate change, or existential risk, their contributions still matter because they directly impact real people, much like how historical figures like Aristides de Sousa Mendes saved lives despite not stopping the Holocaust.
Key points:
People are often drawn to problems they can fully solve, even if they are smaller in scale, because it provides a sense of closure and achievement.
Addressing large-scale problems like global poverty or existential risk can feel frustrating since individual contributions typically make only a minuscule difference.
Aristides de Sousa Mendes, despite violating orders to issue thousands of visas during the Holocaust, only alleviated a small fraction of the suffering, yet his actions were still profoundly meaningful.
The “starfish parable” illustrates that helping even one person still matters, even if the broader problem remains unsolved.
Large problems are ultimately solved in small, incremental steps, and every meaningful contribution plays a role in the collective effort.
The value of altruistic work lies not in fully solving a problem but in making a tangible difference to those who are helped.
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Executive summary: While most individuals cannot singlehandedly solve major global issues like malaria, climate change, or existential risk, their contributions still matter because they directly impact real people, much like how historical figures like Aristides de Sousa Mendes saved lives despite not stopping the Holocaust.
Key points:
People are often drawn to problems they can fully solve, even if they are smaller in scale, because it provides a sense of closure and achievement.
Addressing large-scale problems like global poverty or existential risk can feel frustrating since individual contributions typically make only a minuscule difference.
Aristides de Sousa Mendes, despite violating orders to issue thousands of visas during the Holocaust, only alleviated a small fraction of the suffering, yet his actions were still profoundly meaningful.
The “starfish parable” illustrates that helping even one person still matters, even if the broader problem remains unsolved.
Large problems are ultimately solved in small, incremental steps, and every meaningful contribution plays a role in the collective effort.
The value of altruistic work lies not in fully solving a problem but in making a tangible difference to those who are helped.
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.