Effective Altruism: What it is
Effective altruism is a method of research based charitable giving. It uses measurable data to find the most effective way to donate through determining which causes will be the most beneficial to the highest number of people, and how neglected the cause is to begin with. This concept can be applied to activism in a number of ways.
Charitable Giving as Activism
Donating to a social cause is a form of activism in and of itself. By considering effective altruism when donating, donations are sure to go to causes that are very effective in helping people, and backed up with data.
Principles of effective altruism in protests
As activists, how do we decide which causes we should focus our time and resources on? An effective altruist framework requires activists to consider the potential benefits organizing around a certain cause can have compared to another, and pushes them to focus on causes that are neglected. A downside of this, however, is that it forces activists to directly compare different social issues, and decide which ones are more important, and/or necessary.
Does individual participation matter?
Many activists, including ourselves at Activist Lab, worry that our individual participation is not making a difference. Calculations in Do Good Better, a book written by Effective Altruist William McAskill, help us feel better about our individual activist contributions. The calculations take into account how costly the protests as well as individual participation are, and the neglectedness of the issue. Studies show that when activists are protesting at a higher cost to themselves, the protests are more successful (For more information on this topic visit the Protest Tactics Page). Thinking about these criterions can help us know where our activism is making the biggest impact, and feel more confident that we are making a difference.
Sources to learn more:
What to know about effective altruism
Why Am I Not An Effective Altruist?
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