Recommended readings covering key ideas in effective altruism and related topics.
On Caring
On Caring
Nate Soares
The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better.
The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better.
Max Roser
The big idea: how can we live ethically in a world in crisis
The big idea: how can we live ethically in a world in crisis
Will MacAskill
The case for taking AI seriously as a threat to humanity
The case for taking AI seriously as a threat to humanity
Kelsey Piper
This can't go on
This can't go on
Holden Karnofsky
Why experts are terrified of a human-made pandemic, and what we can do to stop it
Why experts are terrified of a human-made pandemic, and what we can do to stop it
Kelsey Piper
The moral imperative towards cost-effectiveness
The moral imperative towards cost-effectiveness
Toby Ord
Radical empathy
Radical empathy
Holden Karnofsky
The case for reducing existential risks
The case for reducing existential risks
Benjamin Todd
What is effective altruism?
Effective altruism
A Proposed Adjustment to the Astronomical Waste Argument
Effective altruism
Crucial Considerations and Wise Philanthropy
Effective altruism
How valuable is movement growth?
Effective altruism
Three Impacts of Machine Intelligence
AI safety
500 Million, But Not A Single One More
Global health and development
Risks from Great Power Conflicts
Brian Tse
Moral Progress and Cause X
Will MacAskill
Q&A with Leah Edgerton, Executive Director of Animal Charity Evaluators
Leah Edgerton
The Evolution of GiveWell's Research
James Snowden
Fireside Chat: Q&A with Toby Ord
Toby Ord
Q&A with Marcus Davis
Marcus Davis
Facing the risk of nuclear war in the 21st century
Carl Robichaud
Crucial Considerations in Wild Animal Suffering
Persis Eskander
Biosecurity as an EA Cause Area
Claire Zabel
Understanding cause-neutrality
Stefan Schubert
Effective altruism: an elucidation and a defence
Stefan Schubert
Hard-to-reverse decisions destroy option value
Stefan Schubert
Considering Considerateness: Why communities of do-gooders should be exceptionally considerate
Stefan Schubert, Owen Cotton-Barratt
Joan Gass: How to Build a High-Impact Career in International Development
Prospecting for Gold
Longtermism: An Introduction
Fin Moorhouse
What the EA community can learn from the rise of the neoliberals
Kerry Vaughan
EA Groups Newsletter November 26, 2018
Effective Altruism Groups Newsletter
Max Stauffer: How to guard the guardians themselves — strategies to support political decision-making
Mahendra Prasad: Rational group decision-making
Rohin Shah: What’s been happening in AI alignment?
Jasper Synowski and Clare Donaldson: Identifying the most cost-effective programmes to improve mental health
Christian Rassi and Diana Thomas: Effective altruism on the front line — transforming lives and international development
Peter Hurford: U.S. Ballot Initiatives as a Pathway for EA Policy
Kate Krueger: Growing a sustainable future through cellular agriculture
Zak Weston: Growing meat — a market-based approach to building an ethical food system
Varun Deshpande: Clean and Plant-Based Meat in the Developing World
The Long-Term Future
The expected value of extinction risk reduction is positive
Eva Vivalt: Forecasting Research Results
Global Health and Development
Jess Whittlestone
Richard Parr: Taking good food global
Animal Welfare
Efficient Charity — Do Unto Others
Effective Altruism in Government
The Moral Value of Information
Potential Risks from Advanced AI
Fireside Chat: AI governance
Fireside Chat with Bonnie Jenkins
Fireside Chat with Philip Tetlock
Fireside Chat with Toby Ord (2018)
Fireside Chat with Rachel Glennerster
EAGxVirtual 2020 lightning talks
Baobao Zhang: How social science research can inform AI governance
Noah Taylor: Developing a research agenda for bridging existential risk and peace and conflict studies
R. Daniel Bressler: Climate change deaths increase the social cost of carbon
Charity Entrepreneurship: Graduate lightning talks
Simon Eckerström Liedholm: Persistence and reversibility of wild animal welfare interventions
Jamie Harris: Maximize your impact for animals
Chongli Qin: Ensuring safety and consistency in the age of machine learning
Lewis Bollard: Doing the most good for animals post-COVID-19
John Halstead: Is impact investing impactful?
Johannes Ackva: An update to our thinking on climate change
Rachel Waddell: GiveDirectly’s emergency cash response to COVID-19
Kevin Esvelt: Mitigating catastrophic biorisks
Q&A with Will MacAskill
Asya Bergal: Reasons you might think human-level AI is unlikely to happen soon
Marianne van der Werf: Animal advocacy in a global context
Leah Garcés: Identifying opportunities for farmed animals
Tyler John: Representing future generations
Joan Gass: Opening talk
Karolina Sarek: How to do research that matters
Ruth Levine and Caitlin Tulloch: The good, the bad, and the ugly of evidence-informed decision making in global development
Q&A with Elie Hassenfeld
Sam Carter: Are cash transfers the best policy option?
Marcus Davis: Rethink Priorities — empirical research on neglected causes
Alexandria Beck: How the Open Wing Alliance is driving progress worldwide
David Rhys Bernard: Estimating long-term effects without long-term data
Roy Head: How to put your own charity to the test
Alice Redfern: Moral weights in the developing world — IDinsight’s Beneficiary Preferences Project
Dan Brown: Understanding the gaps between academia and policymaking
Kelsey Piper: Future Perfect — a year of coverage
Bruce Friedrich: Creating a New Agricultural Revolution
Aubrey de Grey: Rejuvenation Technology — Will "Age" Soon Cease to Mean "Aging"?
Katriel Friedman: The Benefits of Starting Your Own Charity
Hayden Wilkinson: Doing Good in an Infinite, Chaotic World
EA Newsletter: September 9, 2017
Effective Altruism Newsletter
EA Newsletter November 6, 2018
Effective Altruism Newsletter
EA Newsletter: June 2, 2017
Effective Altruism Newsletter
Paul Christiano: Current Work in AI Alignment
Ben Grodeck: Cooperating With Future Generations — An Experimental Investigation
Cullen O'Keefe: The Windfall Clause — Sharing the Benefits of Advanced AI
Building an Effective Altruism Community
Aaron Hamlin: How to Replace Our Broken Voting System
Zach Groff: Does suffering dominate enjoyment in the animal kingdom?
Max Dalton and Jonas Volmer: How to Avoid Having a Negative Impact with your Project
Michelle Graham: How Evolution Can Help Us Understand Wild Animal Welfare
Dani Nedal: Risks From Great-Power Competition
Lewis Bollard: Lessons Learned in Farm Animal Welfare
Phil Trammell: Philanthropy Timing and the Hinge of History
Daniel Gastfriend: Manufacturing medical countermeasures against catastrophic biothreats
Spencer Greenberg: Effective Behavior Change
Brendan Eappen: Lessons from an EA-Aligned Charity Startup
Andreas Stuhlmüller: Training ML Systems to Answer Open-ended Questions
Join 60k subscribers and sign up for the EA Newsletter, a monthly email with the latest ideas and opportunities
effectivealtruism.org is made by the Centre for Effective Altruism, which is an Effective Ventures project. Effective Ventures Foundation (UK) (EV UK) is a charity in England and Wales (with registered charity number 1149828, registered company number 07962181, and is also a Netherlands registered tax-deductible entity ANBI 825776867). Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc. (EV US) is a section 501(c)(3) organization in the USA (EIN 47-1988398). EV UK and EV US are separate charities that collaborate closely under the “Effective Ventures” name. All content © Centre for Effective Altruism or its respective authors, unless otherwise noted. For enquiries and feedback contact us.
© 2025 Effective Ventures
Effective Altruism
Learn
Take action
Courses
Conferences
Opportunities board
EA Forum
FAQ
About this website
Made by the Centre for Effective Altruism
Contact
Privacy Policy
Cookie notice
effectivealtruism.org is made by the Centre for Effective Altruism, which is an Effective Ventures project. Effective Ventures Foundation (UK) (EV UK) is a charity in England and Wales (with registered charity number 1149828, registered company number 07962181, and is also a Netherlands registered tax-deductible entity ANBI 825776867). Effective Ventures Foundation USA Inc. (EV US) is a section 501(c)(3) organization in the USA (EIN 47-1988398). EV UK and EV US are separate charities that collaborate closely under the “Effective Ventures” name. All content © Centre for Effective Altruism or its respective authors, unless otherwise noted. For enquiries and feedback contact us.
© 2025 Effective Ventures