Effective altruism

Since reading Amia Srinivisan’s essay, ‘Stop the Robot Apocolypse’ in the London Review of Books over four years ago, I’ve read widely on the subject of effective altruism and impact investment as alternatives to traditional forms of philanthropy. But I flip flop between personal passions being the point and the problem. While a key driver and motivator to give, personal passions, so the theory goes, can be ineffective and create the kind of self-congratulatory culture that inadvertently supports tax-evasion activity. What we should definitely be in the habit of is reserving our thanks until we know for a fact that philanthropic funds weren’t diverted from other more legitimate wealth distribution apparatus.