The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Can effective altruism be redeemed?

Jan 23, 2023

Holden Karnofsky, co-founder of GiveWell and CEO of Open Philanthropy, dives into the troubled waters of effective altruism following the fallout from Sam Bankman-Fried's collapse. He discusses the ethical dilemmas in philanthropy and the moral complexities of utilitarianism. Karnofsky also emphasizes the need for a diverse worldview in funding initiatives and critiques the singular focus on maximizing good. He advocates for a broader moral discourse to ensure the integrity and future direction of the movement amidst rising scrutiny.

01:03:38

Episode guests

Holden Karnofsky

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

4min

Navigating Relationships and Ethical Doubts in Effective Altruism

3min

Navigating Effective Altruism

25min

Navigating the Complexities of Effective Altruism through Worldview Diversification

5min

Ethics and the Future of Effective Altruism

6min

Navigating Moral Complexities

6min

Rethinking Funding in Effective Altruism

9min

Guest host Sigal Samuel talks with Holden Karnofsky about effective altruism, a movement flung into public scrutiny with the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried and his crypto exchange, FTX. They discuss EA’s approach to charitable giving, the relationship between effective altruism and the moral philosophy of utilitarianism, and what reforms might be needed for the future of the movement.

Note: In August 2022, Bankman-Fried’s philanthropic family foundation, Building a Stronger Future, awarded Vox’s Future Perfect a grant for a 2023 reporting project. That project is now on pause.

Host: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel), Senior Reporter, Vox

Guest: Holden Karnofsky, co-founder of GiveWell; CEO of Open Philanthropy

References:

"Effective altruism gave rise to Sam Bankman-Fried. Now it's facing a moral reckoning" by Sigal Samuel (Vox; Nov. 16, 2022)
"The Reluctant Prophet of Effective Altruism" by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (New Yorker; Aug. 8, 2022)
"Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself" by Kelsey Piper (Vox; Nov. 16, 2022)
"EA is about maximization, and maximization is perilous" by Holden Karnofsky (Effective Altruism Forum; Sept. 2, 2022)
"Defending One-Dimensional Ethics" by Holden Karnofsky (Cold Takes blog; Feb. 15, 2022)
"Future-proof ethics" by Holden Karnofsky (Cold Takes blog; Feb. 2, 2022)
"Bayesian mindset" by Holden Karnofsky (Cold Takes blog; Dec. 21, 2021)
"EA Structural Reform Ideas" by Carla Zoe Cremer (Nov. 12, 2022)
"Democratising Risk: In Search of a Methodology to Study Existential Risk" by Carla Cremer and Luke Kemp (SSRN; Dec. 28, 2021)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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