Effective altruism: not effective and not altruistic

Abstract

Effective Altruism (EA), a social and ethical movement that encourages people to engage in high-impact philanthropy, has propelled charitable organizations to move billions of dollars for various causes. EA proponents contend that people should use their careers to solve pressing problems and do so in the most impactful way. Critics argue that EA is not true altruism as it places too much emphasis on maximizing well-being and fails to address the root causes of suffering. Conditionally optimizing well-being may conflict with conventional altruistic acts. The article problematizes EA’s approach of quantifying the worth of human life using Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Lastly, it critiques EA’s focus on maximizing good, arguing that the concept of moral goodness is not quantifiable, and people should not settle for a narrow definition of ethics. – AI-generated abstract.