Effective Altruism

I identify as part of the growing international movement, Effective Altruism.

Effective Altruism is a philosophy and social movement that applies evidence and reason to determine the most effective ways to improve the world (Wikipedia). For a good introduction to Effective Altruism, watch Peter Singer's TED talk, or check out these introductory resources.

I am the Assistant Director (Economics) of the Global Priorities Institute and am on the board of One for the World. In the past I have worked as a part time contractor for GiveWell and as a volunteer on the Giving What We Can research team, evaluating the effectiveness of various development interventions and charities. I have also worked in various roles for the World Bank, Vivid Economics and Pump Aid Malawi.

My understanding is that the weight of evidence indicates that all mammals and birds, and many other non-human animals, are conscious (for example, see the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness). I think that animals' wellbeing and suffering is therefore morally important. I support effective animal charities, and have been vegetarian since 2011 and vegan since 2014. The best, and funniest, resource that I know of on this topic is Carnage, a 'mockumentary' by Simon Amstell (sometimes available to watch in the UK).

There are strong Effective Altruism chapters at Oxford and in London - for more details see eaoxford.com and ealondon.com.