Last year was a successful one: we collected around 5 million U.S. dollars for effective charities; kicked off a campaign for a national ballot initiative in Switzerland; spun off two projects, namely Sentience Politics and the Sentience Institute; launched a research project on wild-animal suffering; published a position paper on evidence-based development cooperation; held numerous […]
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By Stefan Torges and Jonas Vollmer Summary Research: We plan to continue our research in the areas of AI-related decision theory and bargaining, fail-safe measures, and macrostrategy. Research coordination: We plan to host a research workshop focused on preventing disvalue from AI, publish an updated research agenda, and continue our support and coaching of independent […]
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These donation recommendations follow from our focus on risks of astronomical suffering (s-risks). This focus is based on the view that the long-term future is overwhelmingly important from an altruistic point of view, and the belief that there is a significant chance that artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform human civilization in the near future. It […]
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The main goal of this approach is to identify, attract, and develop top talent–and help them have more impact. I think EA local groups should focus on this because they have a comparative advantage at community building. The most valuable direct work often requires specialised skills and knowledge, and is best done in a professional […]
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Last year was a very successful one: we collected around 5 million U.S. dollars for effective charities; kicked off a campaign for a national ballot initiative in Switzerland; spun off two projects, namely Sentience Politics and the Sentience Institute; launched a research project on wild-animal suffering; published a position paper on evidence-based development cooperation; held […]
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Program You can find the full program booklet here. Stay up-to-date It’s possible that we’ll have to make short-term changes. In order to stay up-to-date, you can check out this page or the Facebook event from time to time. Updates: (Saturday, 4 pm) Today’s official program is over soon, but we’d love to meet you […]
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How can we use our resources to help others the most? Effective altruism is a philosophy and global movement that combines both the heart and the head. We use evidence and reason to find out how we can best solve global challenges. At this year’s Effective Altruism Global X Berlin (EAGxBerlin), about 300 people – […]
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EAF incubated Sentience Politics since its founding in 2014 as a project working on political initiatives for animals and effective animal advocacy research. We believe both sets of activities are highly promising and should be continued. After a comprehensive strategic review, we’ve concluded that the best way to achieve these goals is by establishing two […]
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The next EAGxBerlin conference by the Effective Altruism Foundation will take place on the weekend of October 14th and 15th 2017 in Berlin. It will feature speakers from the effective altruism movement as well as professionals and researchers from relevant fields, with about 60% of the program in English, including most keynote presentations. Registration will […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. At first glance, farm animal advocacy seems to be the top priority for reducing the suffering of all sentient beings. However, a more detailed analysis suggests that there are several different contenders for ultimate priority: Besides farm animal advocacy, this includes (but […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. Most charities focus their work on helping individuals who already exist, while few charities try to explicitly benefit individuals who will live in the future. Although it is understandable that people empathize primarily with currently existing individuals, this raises fundamental ethical questions: […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. Society has become increasingly aware of the suffering of animals due to human beings. Many will be familiar with the shocking realities of factory farming, or will have seen horrific images of animal testing, neglected and abused pets, the systematic murder of […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. We try and use our limited resources – skilled time and money – to help others in the most effective way possible. Non-human animals qualify as “others” too, given the strong arguments suggesting that animal suffering matters and that we should strive […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. Strong arguments derive their (surprising, counter-intuitive and far-reaching) conclusions from modest premises that everybody accepts. Here’s one such premise: (1) We shouldn’t be cruel to animals, i.e. we shouldn’t harm animals unnecessarily. This principle is common sense, and it’s also contained in […]
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This collection of articles was first published on the website of Sentience Politics. A full-grown horse or dog is beyond comparison a more rational, as well as a more conversible animal, than an infant of a day, a week or even a month old. But suppose the case were otherwise, what would it avail? The […]
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2016 was quite a year for EAF. We opened our new headquarters in Berlin, grew our team from 13 to over 25 full-time equivalent employees, and expanded our activities into three new continents! Along the way, we celebrated many successes and learned from our mistakes. We’ve taken on quite a lot for 2017, too! Our […]
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During the last four years, Adriano Mannino helped found and grow the effective altruist movement in the German-speaking area. As a co-founder of the Effective Altruism Foundation (EAF), he was the main creative mind behind many of our activities. For those who worked with him, he is an inspiring colleague and philosopher who introduced them […]
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Or: Metaphorically, it’s all about gene-copying success How evolutionary biology is being misunderstood The notion that evolution has a goal/purpose is a widespread misconception that comes in several variations. Many people falsely believe that evolution was working towards humans as a final product. But from a biological perspective, there is really no reason to single […]
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This post was first published on the blog of our project Sentience Politics. Sentience Politics is currently accepting submissions for the first Sentience Essay Prize on “effective strategies to reduce the suffering of all sentient beings.” The winner will be awarded $2,000. Effective altruism asks us to consider the best ways to reduce as much […]
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We don’t accept any further applications for this position. When time and money are limited, how can we best use our resources to do as much good as possible? We approach this question using rationality and empirical science in order to identify and implement the most effective strategies to alleviate suffering. If you share this […]
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