Effective Altruism: Presentation and Launch

Many of us seek to help others by supporting charitable causes that we consider important. This is especially true during the holiday season which often inspires an outpouring of charitable giving. People are helped and we feel good about doing something useful.

But is that enough?

How do you decide who or what causes should benefit from your generosity?

Given that charitable decisions can literally affect life and death situations, do donors have more responsibilities than they think?

• Is it really true that some charities are better than others?
• Are some interventions hundreds of times better at achieving the same goal?
• How would you react to finding out that your act of kindness was actually not as effective as you thought?

Why would it be that I shouldn't give food to the food bank?

A combination of critical thinking, psychology, and moral philosophy, this presentation will explore the emerging movement and philosophy of Effective Altruism: What it is, How it works, Why it is happening, and What you can do to be more effective when helping others.

********************
Darren McKee is the host of the popular podcast The Reality Check that explores controversies and curiosities using science and critical thinking and is a member of the Ottawa Skeptics.
If you enjoyed his previous talks on"Skepticism and Morality" and "A Better Choice than Free Will", be sure to catch this one launching Effective Altruism in Ottawa.

********************