Effective Altruism
Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement that advocates the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to benefit others. I found this approach extremely interesting and I think it will ring true for many people in the medical and scientific community. Therefore I want to share the resources where I learned from, share my journey in this space, and motivate others to take a closer look as well.
Get introduced
I hope this is where I might help a few people. Just like I got introduced to these ideas, years ago.
As you have landed on this page, something you heard might have peaked your interest. An excellent introduction for many has been one of the leaders in this movement: Peter Singer. Please check out his introductory TED talk.
Learn more
The book that has influenced my ideas and actions most in recent years must be William MacAskill’s book “Doing Good Better” I highly recommend giving it a read. If you prefer a video equivalent the video below discusses a few of the most interesting concepts from the book.
Join the movement
If these ideas are as contagious to you as they were to me. There are ways to join other likeminded people who aim to improve their impact. The website also provides easy access to donate to some of the proven most effective charities through an organisation that is a registered charity, also in the Netherlands. As such, they provide you with the ANBI number (Dutch: algemeen nut beoogende instelling). You need this number to register your donation on your tax return, making you donation tax-deductible (thereby increasing the amount you can give).
“Giving what we can” is a website that provides great resources for people looking to optimise their charitable impact. And if you’re ready consider taking the pledge to donate a fixed percentage of your income every year. This website explains well why pledging to do this publicly works for you and stimulates others too!