MELBOURNE – “Americanism, not effective altruism.” That’s a new slogan launched on X by the U.S. Department of “War,” the words running across an image of President Donald Trump saluting. Above the image, the post reads: “The United States will continue to be AI DOMINANT!”
I initially thought it must be satire. Doesn’t the Defense Department have more important things to do than oppose a movement that encourages people to help others as effectively as possible? How could an administration that created a Department of Government Efficiency with great fanfare now oppose being effective?
It’s less than 20 years since I spoke with the small group of students at the University of Oxford who started effective altruism (EA). Influenced by my 1972 article, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” they were working together to put into practice what I had advocated, adding an emphasis on getting the best value for every pound or dollar they could donate. They discovered that some charities are hundreds of times more effective than others and posted their research online so that everyone could use it.
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