jkaufman comments on A critique of effective altruism - LessWrong

64 Post author: benkuhn 02 December 2013 04:53PM

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Comment author: jkaufman 03 December 2013 02:27:53AM 4 points [-]

we don't need as much of is donations to object-level charities

These donations are useful for establishing credibility as a real movement and not just "people talking on the internet".

Comment author: benkuhn 03 December 2013 06:35:58AM 4 points [-]

Yes, I'm well aware. I never said they were completely unuseful, just that IMO the marginal value is lower than resources spent elsewhere.

Comment author: Pablo_Stafforini 27 March 2014 11:48:00AM 0 points [-]

Also, as Ben notes,

Given these considerations, it’s quite surprising that effective altruists are donating to global health causes now. Even for those looking to use their donations to set an example, a donor-advised fund would have many of the benefits and none of the downsides.

Comment author: jkaufman 28 March 2014 01:29:01PM 0 points [-]

Even for those looking to use their donations to set an example, a donor-advised fund would have many of the benefits and none of the downsides.

Still not so sure. Legibility and inferential distance are major constraints here. When trying to explain earning to give it's much easier if the "give" part is something obviously good. Donor-advised funds combined with an intention to choose effective charities aren't "obviously good" in the same way as a donation to a charity.

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