3min chapter

Behind the Bastards cover image

The Sam Bankman-Fried Update

Behind the Bastards

CHAPTER

Utility Functions: How They Can Help You Maximize Positive Impact

The concept of utility function provides a systematic way to quantify and compare the potential benefits of different actions, thus helping to guide decision making toward the most effective outcomes. If for example, your goal is to alleviate global suffering, you could assign values to different charitable actions based on their estimated impact. This function can then guide you to allocate your resources like time or money where they will generate the greatest utility or good.

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