Cause X guide

Abstract

The Effective Altruism movement is unified by the broad question “How can I do the most good” instead of by specific solutions, such as “reduce climate change.” The article discusses the importance of cause prioritization in Effective Altruism. It highlights four established cause areas: global poverty, factory-farmed animals, artificial intelligence existential risk, and EA meta. It then argues that there are many other causes that might be just as important, or more important, to work on than these four, which it calls “Cause X”. The article presents several new cause candidates based on a variety of methods, including causes among the top ten listed on the EA survey, causes endorsed by two or more major EA organizations, and causes with 50 or more upvotes on the EA Forum. The article concludes by suggesting that further research is needed to determine which causes are most promising for achieving counterfactual impact. – AI-generated abstract