Oct 13, 2026 · 32 min · 8 segments
What is ‘Effective Altruism’ or EA? Is it a cult, philosophy, or just a bunch of weirdo’s living together at houses in San Fran? Kind of a mix of all three. EA has grown as a ‘philosophy’ over the…
They define effective altruism here as a 21st century philosophical and social movement that advocates impartially calculating benefits and prioritizing causes to provide the greatest good.
Proponents describe the movement as using evidence and reason, evidence and reason, to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible and taking actions on that basis.
Uh, people who pursue the goals of effective altruism, who are sometimes called effective altruists, uh, follow a variety of approaches proposed by the movement, such as donating to select charities and choosing careers, uh, with the goal of maximizing positive impact.
The movement has spurred the creation of research centers, advisory organizations, and charities, which collectively have donated several hundred million dollars.
Now, and then it goes in here, "So the movement developed during the 2000s, and the name effective altruism was coined in 2011.
Uh, philosophers influential to the movement include Peter Singer, Toby Ord, and William MacAskill.
Uh, effective altruism is most popular within the Anglosphere, with concentrations at elite universities in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as in and around the technology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area." So Silicon Valley, basically.
"Some have argued that effective altruism focuses on incremental interventions instead of systemic or political interventions.
Uh, the movement received mainstream attention and criticism, and criticism with the bankruptcy of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as founder Sam Bankman-Fried was a major funder of effective altruism causes prior to the late 2022.
Uh, some women in the San Francisco Bay Area criticized what they described as a culture of sexual misconduct occurring among some participants in the movement." Um, you know, so yeah.
I, I think that, uh, most of the people involved in this are completely hypocritical.
This is like y- you know, you know, oh, you know, uh, th- this is like, you know, total utopia type, like, oh, we're all gonna be altruists, you know? It's like we're all just gonna, you know, throw ourselves in front of a bus for a greater good, but then when it really comes down to it at the end of the day, it's like, "Oh, well, I didn't mean I was gonna throw myself in front of the bus.
They define effective altruism here as a 21st century philosophical and social movement that advocates impartially calculating benefits and prioritizing causes to provide the greatest good.
Proponents describe the movement as using evidence and reason, evidence and reason, to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible and taking actions on that basis.
Uh, people who pursue the goals of effective altruism, who are sometimes called effective altruists, uh, follow a variety of approaches proposed by the movement, such as donating to select charities and choosing careers, uh, with the goal of maximizing positive impact.
The movement has spurred the creation of research centers, advisory organizations, and charities, which collectively have donated several hundred million dollars.
Now, and then it goes in here, "So the movement developed during the 2000s, and the name effective altruism was coined in 2011.
Uh, philosophers influential to the movement include Peter Singer, Toby Ord, and William MacAskill.
Uh, effective altruism is most popular within the Anglosphere, with concentrations at elite universities in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as in and around the technology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area." So Silicon Valley, basically.
"Some have argued that effective altruism focuses on incremental interventions instead of systemic or political interventions.
Uh, the movement received mainstream attention and criticism, and criticism with the bankruptcy of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as founder Sam Bankman-Fried was a major funder of effective altruism causes prior to the late 2022.
Uh, some women in the San Francisco Bay Area criticized what they described as a culture of sexual misconduct occurring among some participants in the movement." Um, you know, so yeah.
I, I think that, uh, most of the people involved in this are completely hypocritical.
This is like y- you know, you know, oh, you know, uh, th- this is like, you know, total utopia type, like, oh, we're all gonna be altruists, you know? It's like we're all just gonna, you know, throw ourselves in front of a bus for a greater good, but then when it really comes down to it at the end of the day, it's like, "Oh, well, I didn't mean I was gonna throw myself in front of the bus.
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