551: Effective Altruism

Philosophy Talk Starters

More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/effective-altruism. Most people agree that it's good to help others, but philosophers disagree about how much good we need to do, and for whom. Effective altruists claim that you have a moral obligation to do the most good you can—even when that means setting aside the needs of your nearest and dearest in order to help strangers. So what does morality demand of us? Are we justified in caring more about our own communities than faraway strangers? And is it ever okay to pursue a personal project when you could be helping others? Josh and Ray demand much of Theron Pummer from the University of St. Andrews, author of "The Rules of Rescue: Cost, Distance, and Effective Altruism" (forthcoming).