Andy Masley lays out his version of effective altruism, pluralism over utilitarian math

RobbWiller · x · 2026-10-16

Andy Masley lays out six principles for his version of effective altruism: take the world's worst problems seriously even when distant or unpopular (including AI loss-of-control risk); use numbers and explicit cost-benefit analysis where they work (bed nets save more lives per dollar); but treat pluralism and respect for free agents as foundational, rejecting confident exchange rates between cause areas; prefer help recipients are free to decline (bed nets, vitamins, unconditional cash); keep ordinary rules about honesty, money and power; and treat EA as a loose cluster of ideas like YIMBY rather than a totalizing community.

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