Effective Altruism

Why this new religion is just as silly, and just as toxic, as all the mythologies that have preceded it

Hoping that the low gravity of Mars will help him lose weight, Elon Musk plans to squander tens of billions of dollars to get there.

Like all religions, Effective Altruism (EA) strives to give its followers a simple moral framework and a few simple rules by means of which to govern their lives. Like all religions, EA gives brownie points for following the rules, and implicit demerits for…