This week’s topic is charity and effective altruism. In an age where many charities are run in the same way as commercial businesses we question whether it is even possible to give to charity effectively. We explore a possible solution to this problem, the idea of “effective altruism”. This is where you give what you can to charity but try to ensure that you only give to the most effective of charities. A proponent of effective altruism is Toby Ord, an Oxford University researcher. Toby made the news recently when he pledged to give away over £1 million to charity over his lifetime to charity. In the past year given more than a third of his earnings, £10,000, to charities working in the poorest countries. He has also has given way to a vast proportion of his savings. if you have any comments please add to the debate by commenting or e-mailing- radio AT rhodders.com.
References
TED Talk Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism- http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism.html
BBC News article on Toby Ord- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11950843