Executive summary: The EA movement needs to focus more on promoting the fundamental “why” of altruism—doing good because it’s right, not for self-interest—to achieve the scale needed for addressing global challenges.
Key points:
EA currently focuses on “what” (identifying problems) and “how” (solutions), but insufficient attention is paid to “why” we should help others.
There are two fundamental motivations: self-interest and genuine altruism—EA needs to promote the latter more actively.
The movement requires broader adoption of altruistic decision-making to achieve meaningful impact on global issues like climate change.
Author proposes 5 “self-evident truths” about effective helping, including prioritizing those most in need and achieving maximum impact.
Recommendation: EA should research and invest in “moral awakening” as a cause area to expand the movement’s reach and influence.
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.
Executive summary: The EA movement needs to focus more on promoting the fundamental “why” of altruism—doing good because it’s right, not for self-interest—to achieve the scale needed for addressing global challenges.
Key points:
EA currently focuses on “what” (identifying problems) and “how” (solutions), but insufficient attention is paid to “why” we should help others.
There are two fundamental motivations: self-interest and genuine altruism—EA needs to promote the latter more actively.
The movement requires broader adoption of altruistic decision-making to achieve meaningful impact on global issues like climate change.
Author proposes 5 “self-evident truths” about effective helping, including prioritizing those most in need and achieving maximum impact.
Recommendation: EA should research and invest in “moral awakening” as a cause area to expand the movement’s reach and influence.
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.