Effective altruism is a growing movement and teaches us that we must be mindful of others, regardless of race, culture, religion, or species. We all experience emotions and feelings of happiness, fear, love, loss, and so on, and as such should be accorded basic levels of respect and the right to live our lives safely and with access to basic needs like shelter and food.

There are four questions commonly asked about effective altruism…

  1. How much difference can I actually make? Toby Ord, a research fellow at the University of Oxford and founder of effective altruist organization, Giving What We Can, began his work by exploring the ethics of global health and global poverty, discovering that aid has been very successful, in general, but has the potential to be even more successful if we improve our priority setting using reason and evidence to effectively help others.
  2. Am I expected to give up my career? I think perhaps embracing a career based on a triple bottom line approach to work and business is the way forward, whereby there is an equal focus on people, planet, and profit and which ultimately means that we can each be successful whilst helping others, empowering economies, and ensuring a sustainable future for the environment.
  3. Isn’t charity bureaucratic and ineffective? Some charities are much more effective than others and it’s important to choose wisely as to who to support.
  4. Isn’t it a burden to give up so much? Altruism, particularly being involved in effective altruism is scientifically proven to have a very positive impact on our mental health and our lives.

Read the full article about effective altruism at by Rachel McClleland at One Green Planet.