Abstract:

In this post, I will seek to understand the interactions between effective altruism (EA) and religion. The accessibility of this information to EA organisations is important for many reasons, including; developing a heightened awareness of the EA movement in relation to other movements (religious or social), understanding the overlap or tension the movement may have with a very important player in the charitable sector, and setting the research-based groundwork for consideration of future attempts at outreach.

The four following findings were among some of the most significant:

Faith-based organisations (FBOs) or Religious NGOs (RNGOs) have huge amounts of money and power with which they wield significant influence and shape outcomes in the charitable sector
Notwithstanding the presence of several ideological clashes and branding issues that arise with the motivations and implementation of some FBO policies, the positivity of the work undertaken (particularly in poverty alleviation efforts) largely outweighs the negativity associated with more publicized scandal
EA has a large amount of philosophical and practical overlap with religion; and particularly the religions of Christianity and Judaism
Given the amounts of money held in FBOs, the overlap religion shares with EA, and the probability of high reward that outreach strategies might yield, considerations for future partnership should not be ignored

As such, the two following two points are relevant to next steps EA organisations could take:

Based on interviews conducted, it became clear that, although both Christianity and Judaism were groups that scripturally and practically would be (and are) sympathetic to EA mandates, different outreach strategies would have to be pursued for both. For example, interviews conducted demonstrated that within Christianity, top movement builders would have to be identified and utilized in partnership. In Judaism, however, practical examples of EA (such as promotion of the GiveWell website) would most likely prove more tractable.
Based on interviews conducted, it became clear that informal attempts at outreach have already been attempted. More research should be undertaken to decide if formal strategies of outreach should be pursued; and if so, which ones, and how.

Introduction:

Though understudied, signifi

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sophieritchie

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