The hottest Altruism Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

Pledge Drive

Astral Codex Ten • 18032 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Make a specific, binding pledge to give a fixed percent of your income; that turns vague good intentions into steady, automatic donations and removes the guilt and indecision of one-off appeals.
  2. Money is often the most effective way for most people to change the world, and giving a committed share of your income to highly effective charities can save many lives or have outsized impact compared with small personal sacrifices or online activism.
  3. If you’re unsure, start small with a trial percentage and register the pledge publicly; committing externally helps you stick to your plan and lets you ignore most fundraiser asks.

Underrated ways to change the world

Experimental History • 67383 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Altruism
  1. You don't have to be super rich or super selfless to help the world. Sometimes just being brave and encouraging others can make a big difference.
  2. Building a community and working together is essential. You can accomplish more and create positive change when you have friends by your side.
  3. Getting the right information to the right person is key. Think of yourself as a switchboard, connecting people and ideas to help everyone succeed.

Variously Effective Altruism

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2016 implied HN points • 10 Nov 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. When giving money to charities, it's important to consider how your donations might be used. Your funds could end up supporting causes you don't believe in, so think carefully about where your money goes.
  2. Giving to help others can sometimes make you seem unkind if you focus only on the impact rather than on people's feelings. It's good to be aware of how your approach to helping is perceived by others.
  3. When looking for donations, some big projects need a lot of money, even if it seems like too much at first. If you have a solid plan, it might be better to ask for a bigger amount because wealthy donors often want to invest significantly in exciting ideas.

Make The World A Little Bit Better Today

Singal-Minded • 269 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Altruism
  1. You can make a positive impact today by helping people in need, often by donating money. It’s simple and can make a real difference in someone's life.
  2. GiveDirectly is an organization that helps reduce poverty by giving cash directly to those who need it most. This helps improve their living conditions and supports local economies.
  3. If you donate $50 or more, there's a chance to win fun prizes like signed books or subscriptions. It's a great way to motivate people to help others!

EAs should probably focus on recruiting the ultra-wealthy

Something to Consider • 99 implied HN points • 11 Jul 24
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Effective Altruism should prioritize recruiting wealthy individuals because a big donation can have a much larger impact than many small ones. It's more beneficial to convince one billionaire to give a large amount than to have thousands give small amounts.
  2. The reputation issues from past events, like the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's companies, shouldn't discourage efforts to recruit wealthy donors. The potential benefits of their donations greatly outweigh these concerns.
  3. Investing resources in programs that can attract wealthy individuals is seen as a very cost-effective strategy for Effective Altruism, as the benefits can be significantly greater.
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1/(Effective Altruism)

Philip’s Newsletter • 41 implied HN points • 13 Dec 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Effective Altruism often treats distant and future lives as equally important, but it can also make sense to discount impact by distance and time and prioritize helping those nearest to you.
  2. If many people are giving, focusing on nearby recipients can increase measurable impact and coordination because local help reduces uncertainty and leads to better collective outcomes.
  3. Caring more about people close to you can support social stability and cooperation, and regardless of strategy, giving more generally benefits both recipients and the giver.

Why be good?

Philosophy bear • 143 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Caring for others can make your own life feel more meaningful. When you invest in other people's well-being, you often find joy and purpose in your own life.
  2. Being good helps create consistency in your feelings and attitudes. If you resent others when they do bad things, being moral yourself can bring harmony to your thoughts.
  3. Building connections with others is easier when you care about them. Genuine friendships often rely on shared values, and caring for people can help foster those meaningful relationships.

The Economics of Altruism

David Friedman’s Substack • 179 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Altruism can be understood in economic terms by suggesting that people might care about others' well-being as part of their own happiness. This means that helping others can also benefit the helper.
  2. The 'Rotten Kid Theorem' explains that even selfish behavior in children can lead them to act in ways that are good for everyone, as they understand their actions affect their parent's support.
  3. Altruism may have evolved as a way to help groups survive better. When one person helps others, it can create better cooperation for the whole group, making it more successful over time.

A short philosophical history

Philosophy bear • 114 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Morality has evolved over time, influenced by intelligence, language, and culture. It can be seen as both a helpful adaptation and something that just happens without benefit, like men's nipples.
  2. The main conflict in history is between human morality and natural selection. Sometimes they work together, but other times they clash, shaping our progress as a species.
  3. We may have the chance to take control of our future and overcome natural selection through technology and ethics. Once we do this, our moral values could become the guiding force for society.

More on Altruism

David Friedman’s Substack • 80 implied HN points • 09 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. People don't always act the way we expect when it comes to charity. For example, if you get a raise, you might donate more, but real donors often don't follow this theory and may change their donations based on their feelings instead.
  2. Folk songs often show a preference for marrying for beauty over wealth, suggesting that beauty is seen as noble. However, this often creates tension and even tragedy in the story, revealing complex social dynamics.
  3. Being in love might be related to altruism since loving someone can lead to wanting what’s best for them. But love can also involve mixed feelings, which makes it unclear how altruism plays a role in romantic relationships.

Assessing altruism

Model Thinking • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🔬 Science Altruism
  1. Intergenerational altruism in the Barro-Becker model may need to be as low as 0.09 for a stable solution, which seems paradoxical considering the proportion of a parent's and child's consumption.
  2. Potential explanations for this paradox include scale economies in household production, children being viewed as 'utility monsters,' and parents seeing children as a prestige good.
  3. The discrepancy in altruism values between parents and consequences may imply that individuals are not consequentialists and may prioritize existing utility over potential future utility.

The Esteem of Altruism and the Complexities of Acknowledgment

Anima Mundi • 20 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Altruism
  1. Sharing with others can bring moral beauty and joy, even if we can't utilize something ourselves.
  2. Recognition for intangible achievements, like ideas and intellectual work, holds deep significance.
  3. Acknowledgment is crucial, whether it's for individual accomplishments or nature's inspiration, and we should strive for a more holistic recognition framework.

What Is Your Contribution?

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 8 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. We can measure our contribution to the world in various ways, not just based on traditional accomplishments.
  2. Some jobs, like teachers and social workers, have a direct impact on people's lives, while others may feel disconnected from their positive impact.
  3. Contributing to society can take different forms, whether through work, wealth, or personal efforts, and it's important to find meaningful ways to give back.

Meditations on Effective Altruism

Moral Mayhem Podcast • 0 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Altruism
  1. Effective Altruism (EA) has both strong points and weaknesses that need to be discussed. It's important to look at both sides to understand it better.
  2. The cultural vibes and beliefs within EA can show some biases and inconsistencies. We should think about how these affect the movement.
  3. By exploring these features and flaws, we can appreciate the good in EA while also recognizing where it could improve. It's all about finding balance.