The NYT interviews the eminent philosopher:
Peter Singer Wants to Shatter Your Moral Complacency By David Marchese
Q. "I think of you as being best known for your work on animals and ethics, which flows out of utilitarian principles — that the right action is the one that produces the most good. But you’re also seen as one of the godfathers of effective altruism. Can you explain what effective altruism is and how it builds on utilitarianism?
A. "Sure. Effective altruism is the view that firstly, we ought to try to make the world a better place. Doesn’t mean that we all have to become saints, but it should be an important goal for people to think, What can I do to make the world better? And to think about that in a global way, not just for me and my family and those close to me but for people anywhere in the world and, indeed, for beings capable of suffering who are not of our species. Effective altruism developed into a kind of a social movement to encourage people to do that, and effective altruists have done a lot of research to try to find which are the most effective charities in different areas. What is the connection with utilitarianism? I think if you are a utilitarian, you ought to be an effective altruist. Because if you’re a utilitarian you ought to want to reduce suffering and increase happiness, and given that we all have limited resources, surely we should be using those resources as effectively as possible to do as much good as we can."
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Earlier: Singer is one of the founding editors of the Journal of controversial ideas (which has a large, diverse and distinguished editorial board):
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