Bryan Caplan on EA: Praise for Evidence-Based Giving, Critique of the AI Doom Crusade
BorisMPower · x · 2026-09-29
Economist Bryan Caplan published a long essay, "EA: The Good, the Bad, and the Buggy," assessing the effective altruism movement.
The good: EAs are likeable, smart, and evidence-driven; they steered money toward demonstrably cost-effective charities like deworming, anti-malaria, and Give Directly, improving philanthropy and inspiring tech donors.
The bad: EAs are prone to groupthink and have largely abandoned life-saving philanthropy to obsess over AI risk. Caplan argues doomers' own behavior betrays their doubt—only two have ever accepted his bets on the end of the world.
He also dismisses insect and shrimp welfare concerns as fringe intellectual curiosity with no real-world consequence. BorisMPower shared the piece, praising Caplan's clarity on the topic.
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