I agree with the point about having to consider better alternatives, but I would like to push back against the idea of total self-sacrificing commitment (not necessarily attributing it to you, but it might be read out of this conversation):
“A big part of effective altruism is the belief that we should use much of our time to help others. If we had to choose between ‘spending time non-altruistically’ and ‘going to a protest for an important cause’, then yes, we would have some kind of obligation to go to the protest.”
The totalizing view that participation in effective altruism means sacrificing all one’s projects whenever doing so creates more impartial value for others, is not in line with the definitions normally given, or the behavior of effective altruists.
Peter Singer gives 25% of his substantial income, and does not push the ‘give until one becomes as poor as those being helped, or until this reduces one’s productivity/motivation enough to reduce net donations’ line these days. Giving What We Can has a 10% centerpiece standard pledge, with lower pledges available (and some higher). The wealthiest EAs contribute a large fraction of EA donations while retaining generous personal consumption budgets even when giving a large majority of their wealth.
Almost all the good done by EA comes from making modest sacrifices, and a claim that EA=giving up time and money without limit would be both hypocritical and very plausibly self-defeating.
This is one reason I am so excited about Giving What We Can. Their rule is you give 10% of your income to charity, and you’re allowed in their little club and you get your name on their site as an Officially Recognized Good Person.
For years, I felt like I was probably ethically obligated to give all my income to charity, minus whatever I needed to survive. And the fact that I obviously wasn’t going to do that made me not give anything at all.
Once someone told me that my obligation wasn’t infinite, but just some finite amount like ten percent per year, every year, I was thrilled to be able to comply.
I agree with the point about having to consider better alternatives, but I would like to push back against the idea of total self-sacrificing commitment (not necessarily attributing it to you, but it might be read out of this conversation):
“A big part of effective altruism is the belief that we should use much of our time to help others. If we had to choose between ‘spending time non-altruistically’ and ‘going to a protest for an important cause’, then yes, we would have some kind of obligation to go to the protest.”
The totalizing view that participation in effective altruism means sacrificing all one’s projects whenever doing so creates more impartial value for others, is not in line with the definitions normally given, or the behavior of effective altruists.
Peter Singer gives 25% of his substantial income, and does not push the ‘give until one becomes as poor as those being helped, or until this reduces one’s productivity/motivation enough to reduce net donations’ line these days. Giving What We Can has a 10% centerpiece standard pledge, with lower pledges available (and some higher). The wealthiest EAs contribute a large fraction of EA donations while retaining generous personal consumption budgets even when giving a large majority of their wealth.
Almost all the good done by EA comes from making modest sacrifices, and a claim that EA=giving up time and money without limit would be both hypocritical and very plausibly self-defeating.
Also see: infinite debts.