If you walked past a child drowning in a pond, would you leap in to save them? Would it matter if it ruined your expensive clothes? Good news: you *can* save lives with a small sacrifice: donating to effective charities. Givewell is one group who finds charities with the strongest evidence base for effectiveness and the best accounting and antifraud practices. It's an incredible investment opportunity, but one where the gains are paid forward, turning your hundreds into thousands gained in productivity via healthier, more peaceful, and better educated societies.
I'm making a commitment to invest at least 5% of my pre-tax income in high-impact charities. I hope to make it eventually to 10%. I'm privileged to be able to give this much, but most of us are, and you can afford to invest 1 or 2%.I'm going to post proof every year. This year I'm paying almost 2000 women $5 to get their kids vaccinated in an area of Northern Nigeria where jab rates are low, diseases prevalent, and evidence strong that cash incentives improve uptake. When humans wipe out polio, I've played a tiny part in that.
Does this come across a little preachy or grandiose? Possibly. Would it be more noble to do it anonymously? Maybe. But I'm convinced we need to create a public culture of philanthropy (human-loving) that encourages us all to participate.
All of this is reasoned out and evidence-backed in The Life You Can Save, a short book by our greatest living philosopher, Peter Singer. I now have a box full of copies. Comment or message if you'd like a copy, or any advice or encouragement about making the world a better place.
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