According to the prominent voice for effective altruism, Sam Bankman-Fried’s version of the philosophy was only one among many.
When former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud in November 2023, many critics blamed his ethical philosophy, effective altruism, for his wrong turn in life.
But in a video debate published on Aug. 28 by the nonprofit organization Open to Debate, philosopher Peter Singer defended effective altruism, claiming that Bankman-Fried was an advocate of the “earn to give” movement, which makes up just a small part of the philosophy’s community.
According to Singer, effective altruism is the view that human beings have a moral responsibility to alleviate suffering in the world, but also to make sure that they do so efficiently and rationally.
