Definition
Effective Altruism (EA) is a research field and social movement that uses evidence and reason to determine how to benefit others as much as possible, and takes action based on those findings. It is “generosity plus efficiency.”
Why It Matters
Generosity is common, but impact is rare. Effective Altruism matters because it provides the “quality control” for human compassion, ensuring that our finite resources (time and money) are spent on the problems where they can save the most lives or prevent the most suffering. It is the bridge between “feeling good” and “doing good,” moving us away from sentimentalism and toward a rigorous, data-driven approach to solving the world’s most neglected and high-stakes problems.
Core Concepts
- Cause Prioritization: Recognizing that some problems are vastly more impactful to solve than others. Causes are evaluated based on:
- Importance (Scale): How many lives are affected and by how much?
- Solvability (Tractability): How much progress can be made with additional resources?
- Neglectedness: How many resources are already being devoted to the problem?
- Expected Value: Decisions are made based on the probability of success multiplied by the magnitude of the impact.
- Moral Impartiality: Every life has equal value, regardless of geography, species, or time (leading to Longtermism).
- Opportunity Cost: Every dollar or hour spent on one cause is a dollar or hour not spent on a potentially more effective one.