Right! And I think we need some clarification of terms. We can’t be calling people who are passionate about, say, effective solutions for homelessness in New York City, “non effective altruists”. That’s divisive and also kinda rude.
I think similar to “chocolate milk” and “milk chocolate”, we should have effective altruists, and altruistic rationalists. The second word is the main thing. Anyone who is trying to do any kind of good effectively should be able to call themselves an effective altruist. People who are passionate about doing the most good possible without any bias towards specific people or causes can be called altruistic rationalists. And of course, anyone can do both types of activities, without feeling any shame or guilt.
Right! And I think we need some clarification of terms. We can’t be calling people who are passionate about, say, effective solutions for homelessness in New York City, “non effective altruists”. That’s divisive and also kinda rude.
I think similar to “chocolate milk” and “milk chocolate”, we should have effective altruists, and altruistic rationalists. The second word is the main thing. Anyone who is trying to do any kind of good effectively should be able to call themselves an effective altruist. People who are passionate about doing the most good possible without any bias towards specific people or causes can be called altruistic rationalists. And of course, anyone can do both types of activities, without feeling any shame or guilt.