Portland Effective Altruism and Rationality (PEAR)

4.6

91 ratings

Portland, OR, US

1,103 members · Public group

Organized by PEAR Support and 12 others

What we’re about

About:
Welcome to the hub for all things in Portland related to effective altruism and rationality aka PEAR!

Effective altruism is about using reason and evidence to do the most good we can with our limited resources.
In the rationality community, we aspire to improve our reasoning and decision making and address the biases that prevent us from holding true beliefs and accomplishing our goals.

Please feel free to come out, even if, like many of us, you feel awkward, feel that you're not the typical rationalist or effective altruist, are worried that people won't like you, are just curious, or have read this far, etc.

Events:
All events will be posted here on Meetup, on our public calendar, and sent out from our mailing list. You can also check out the previous events we've hosted, and keep the conversation going on our Discord. If you have any other questions, please message us anytime here on Meetup or at support@pearcommunity.com.

More Info:
Check out PEAR's website here! Otherwise, for more information on rationality, here’s a brief explanation on LessWrong, or dive into some of the posts on Scott Alexander’s blog. For more information on effective altruism, visit effectivealtruism.org.

Community Health and Safety:
It is a priority to make our group a place that feels safe and welcoming for everyone who is interested in contributing to or learning from the Rationality or EA movement, and in particular, to be a place that is safe and welcoming for members of groups that are currently underrepresented in our community. We expect members to respect one another at all times, and will take action to prevent inappropriate behavior.

If you'd like to give us feedback:
Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/avYJccNhbVGufGFi7
If you'd like to report a concern:
Contact Organizer Team: [support@pearcommunity.com](mailto:support@pearcommunity.com)
Contact Sam: scelarek@gmail.com
If you have any urgent concerns, but for any reason prefer not to reach out to the PEAR support team about them
CEA Community Health Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJooJD0Sm2csCYgd0Is6FkpyQa3ket8IIcFzd_FcTRU7avRg/viewform

Featured event

Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 5:30 PM PDTACX Meetups Everywhere: Fall Edition!

bridgespace, Portland , OR

ACX Meetups Everywhere: Fall Edition! cover photo

Scott is asking anyone who is interested in his blog to come out and meet in person!

What to Expect:
We have rented out a large event space and will be providing vegan food. This will be a mostly open ended meet-up with couches, chatting, games, drinks, and cool people. The "PEAR" sign will be outside of the building, but please call Sam at 513-432-3310 if you can't find it.
Please feel free to come, even if, like many of us, you feel awkward about it, feel that you're not the typical rationalist or effective altruist, are completely new to either community, or worry that people won't like you, etc.

Lightning Events:
If you would like to volunteer to help or give a lightning talk at the event, please fill out this form or text Sam at 513-432-3310.

Parking:
There is a surplus of parking around the Bridgespace building, but the East side of the building (https://plus.codes/84QVG87P+7CG) is the most well-lit and where the entrance is. The entrance is a door adjacent to a loading bay, and it may not look like the front door, but it is. There will also be a PEAR sign outside the door with a flashlight shining on it. If you are still having a hard time or have any other questions, call me (don't text) at 513-432-3310!

Donations:
PEAR is going community funded! If you would like to support us and events like this, or even get involved in the organization of PEAR please consider one of the following donation amounts below:

$0: This is right amount for you if you are new to PEAR, if you are having any financial difficulty, if your donations are more effective spent elsewhere, or any other reason! You are super welcome!
Attender $10: This about covers the cost of your attendance at the event.
Spotter $20: This about covers the cost of you and a mysterious stranger's attendance at the event. Thanks, says the stranger!
Core Member $40: This covers the cost of your attendance at all 4 events in a year! Hola.
Super Supporter $80: This covers the cost of you and another PEARs attendance at all 4 events in a year! Super nice.
Committee Member $200+: You really think PEAR is a good place to be for its impact on Portland's intellectual development, social epistemology, and community! Practically this will give us some creative runway for events like Solstice, outreach, or other programs or reduce our need to ask for donations. There will be a dedicated discord chat for members in this level and we will get feedback from them on event ideas.
Volunteero: Volunteering to help out at any event is a good alternative to donation. Reach out to Sam (513-432-3310) before an event to work out logistics. (If you have the time for it and know the community well, consider joining the leadership team!)

To donate, you can use this Venmo QR code (Please state this is for PEAR in the tagline) linked directly to PEARs / Sam's bank account, otherwise there will be a QR code in the photos for this event and at the event you can scan.