< 1 min read
December 7, 2015
One of the goals of effective altruism is to eviscerate human emotion from philanthropy; many psychologists argue this can harm the communities that are built by giving.
"Effective altruism’s dismissal of sentiment echoes the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who centuries ago argued that passion was incompatible with moral action. This view also characterizes economic models that say emotional acts don’t “count” as real altruism.
"These arguments are misguided. Crucially, they fail to account for psychological evidence that emotion — and especially empathy — adds a powerful, positive spark to philanthropy."--Jamil Zaki, The New York Times