I was probably a little unfair with my previous take on SBF and effective altruism.
I said, “Effective altruists believe that making and then using gobs of money to influence the world is a noble goal as long as you’re very, very smart. “
OK, that’s the kind of hyperbolic leap I often rail against on The250. To be fair, effective altruism is a bit more nuanced. Specifically, it’s about using data rather than emotions to guide the charitable practice (i.e., the smart approach).
But that still misses the point. Altruism, charity, and giving is all about emotions. It’s 100% emotions.
Effective altruism does exist, but it’s not a function of the smart people who think about it correctly. It doesn’t flow from data because that would require the assumption that an objectively correct vision for the world exists.
Effective altruism flows from the giver. It’s about intention and the emotional investment of the giver. It’s about one person or group giving what they can out of love to help another person or group.
It’s about the people who feel about it correctly.
