An informal meetup for anybody who is interested in or curious about effective altruism, a philosophy that promotes using reason and evidence to do the most good in the world.
We had Monica Beluțoiu from ASUR last time around, what if this time see things from a related, but very different point of view?
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the Middle East, where it has faced ongoing persecution since its inception. The religion is estimated to have five to eight million adherents, known as Baháʼís, worldwide.
The Baháʼí Faith has three central figures: the Báb (1819–1850), executed for heresy, who taught that a prophet similar to Jesus and Muhammad would soon appear; Baháʼu'lláh (1817–1892), who claimed to be that prophet in 1863 and had to endure both exile and imprisonment; and his son, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (1844–1921), who made teaching trips to Europe and the United States after his release from confinement in 1908.
Why do we think it's relevant to effective altruists?
The Baháʼí faith:
has no priesthood and does not observe ritual forms in its worship.
is accepting of other religions, considering all of the Messengers of God (e.g. the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad) have progressively revealed the nature of the one true religion,
they preach complete equality between sexes (and have done so since the 19th century!),
refuses to participate in partisan politics,
considers that achieving equality between men and women is key to the success of humanity,
forbids their members from proselytizing,
and most relevantly to us: the Baháʼí consider that work done in the spirit of service to humanity enjoys a rank equal to that of prayer and worship in the sight of God, so helping others is a central part of the faith.
We have invited Bahman Rahmatian, a representative of the local community, to tell us about their faith, especially in regards to how it relates to effective altruism.
Program:
17:00 - 17:15 Arrivals
17:15 - 17:30 Introductions
17:30 - 18:00 Intro to EA
18:00 - 19:00 Intro to the Baháʼí and their view of the world
19:00+ Free discussions
