b1shop comments on Missed opportunities for doing well by doing good - Less Wrong

10 Post author: multifoliaterose 21 July 2010 07:45AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (67)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: b1shop 22 July 2010 01:32:53AM 1 point [-]

You may be anchoring based on the total amount of money needed to save everybody who needs to be saved in the developing world or something like that, and consequently forgetting that there are real people who are affected by donations.

You seem mighty quick to accuse me of bias. A thousand dollars is a lot higher than I imagined the number to be. Surely, you can be charitable enough for me to express that simple fact without declaring me an anchor-er.

Comment author: WrongBot 22 July 2010 01:54:37AM 7 points [-]

I feel obliged to point out that you are an anchor-er, insomuch as that you are human. You may not be falling prey to that particular bias in this particular instance, but the bias is still present in the topology of your brain.

Comment author: b1shop 22 July 2010 02:19:41AM 6 points [-]

Point well taken.

Comment author: multifoliaterose 22 July 2010 05:19:25AM 2 points [-]

I guess I was reacting to your comparison of the "significant life change" experienced by the recipient and family/friends of a StopTB treatment and the "significant life change" that you would experience in losing $1000. The two are not comparable and the fact that you used the same phrase to describe them suggested to me that you were irrationally heavily minimizing the impact of a donation to StopTB on the recipients of the treatment.

I'm not saying that the fact that the two things are incomparable means that you ought to give. Again, see my post on altruism and sacrifice. I only ask that you make an honest assessment of what's being lost when you decline to donate.