

The Logic of Effective Altruism - sergeant3
http://bostonreview.net/forum/peter-singer-logic-effective-altruism

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UhUhUhUh
As 99% of all human beings know full well that caring for one another is the
bedrock of moral as well as a, hopefully obvious, survival need, the question
is, and has always been, to understand why so many of us, or all of us under
some circumstances, seem to ignore this imperative. Hic rhodus, hic salta.

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ewzimm
Judging the effectiveness of organizations and actions is definitely useful,
but this summary seems to ignore the complexities inherent in ethical
decisions. It seems to me that the most important problems we have to address
are various forms of mental illnesses and deficiencies in thinking. We
certainly have the resources and technology to give everyone a good, safe, an
healthy life, and yet the political and social realities of the world drive
people to harm each other and themselves.

There's certainly a need for triage in addressing the immediate damage to
people, but the larger goal of creating a world in which people choose not to
sabotage their communities requires a lot of creative thinking. We don't know
what it will take to create that world, but abstractions like art and music
seem to go a long way toward helping people find the mental clarity they need
to make good decisions. So while we should absolutely try to live effectively,
we should also consider that long-term social benefits come from developing
impractical but enjoyable habits which promote mental health and wellbeing.

