Executive summary: The author argues that, given the moral weight of conscious experience and the role of luck in determining life circumstances, a voluntary simplicity pledge tied to the world’s average income lets them meet their ethical duties while still maintaining a balanced and meaningful life.
Key points:
The author claims conscious moments have intrinsic importance and that ignoring others’ suffering amounts to endorsing harmful systems.
The author argues most advantages and disadvantages in life stem from luck, so they do not view their own wealth as morally deserved.
The author states that effective donations can do large amounts of good, citing estimates of $3,000 to $5,500 per life saved and 126,000 cage-free years for chickens per equivalent spending.
The author describes voluntary simplicity research, citing Hook et al. (2021) as finding a consistent positive relationship between voluntary simplicity and well-being.
The author explains they set their salary to roughly the world’s average income adjusted for London (£26,400 in 2025) and donate earnings above that.
The author reports that living this way feels non-sacrificial, supports long-term financial security, and aligns their actions with their values while recognizing others’ differing circumstances.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: The author argues that, given the moral weight of conscious experience and the role of luck in determining life circumstances, a voluntary simplicity pledge tied to the world’s average income lets them meet their ethical duties while still maintaining a balanced and meaningful life.
Key points:
The author claims conscious moments have intrinsic importance and that ignoring others’ suffering amounts to endorsing harmful systems.
The author argues most advantages and disadvantages in life stem from luck, so they do not view their own wealth as morally deserved.
The author states that effective donations can do large amounts of good, citing estimates of $3,000 to $5,500 per life saved and 126,000 cage-free years for chickens per equivalent spending.
The author describes voluntary simplicity research, citing Hook et al. (2021) as finding a consistent positive relationship between voluntary simplicity and well-being.
The author explains they set their salary to roughly the world’s average income adjusted for London (£26,400 in 2025) and donate earnings above that.
The author reports that living this way feels non-sacrificial, supports long-term financial security, and aligns their actions with their values while recognizing others’ differing circumstances.
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.