Figuring out whether money spent on philanthropy is effective is one of the central tenets of effective altruism. Everybody here critiques each other all the time. Why should private billionaires get a free pass?
And the author very much does criticise billionaires spending money on “politicians and votes and social media platforms”. The author is focusing on the philanthropy side because, well, that’s the subject of the article.
Personally I think it is an error (albeit a common one, both among EAs and among EA critics) to offer greater criticism to those who do something, than to those who do nothing. It is good and appropriate to suggest how we can all do better, but if you find yourself criticizing Bill Gates more than Jeff Bezos, I think you’re doing it wrong.
Figuring out whether money spent on philanthropy is effective is one of the central tenets of effective altruism. Everybody here critiques each other all the time. Why should private billionaires get a free pass?
And the author very much does criticise billionaires spending money on “politicians and votes and social media platforms”. The author is focusing on the philanthropy side because, well, that’s the subject of the article.
Personally I think it is an error (albeit a common one, both among EAs and among EA critics) to offer greater criticism to those who do something, than to those who do nothing. It is good and appropriate to suggest how we can all do better, but if you find yourself criticizing Bill Gates more than Jeff Bezos, I think you’re doing it wrong.