Effective Altruism at UCLA
Effective Altruism is about answering one simple question: how can we best improve the world?
Most of us want to make a difference. We see suffering, injustice and death, and are moved to do something about it. But working out what that ‘something’ is, let alone actually doing it, can be a difficult and disheartening challenge. Effective Altruism is a response to this challenge.
Effective Altruism is a growing social movement with university chapters at most top universities around the world. The movement is based on the idea that good intentions alone, while admirable, are not enough to have an impact. Instead, we are committed to combining compassion with reasoning and evidence so that our choices do the most good possible. With this broad approach, we tackle some of the most challenging questions of our era: what global problems should we prioritize, what strategies have the best chances of solving them, and how can we best use our careers, donations, resources, and lifestyles to contribute to these?
For a brief introduction to Effective Altruism by one of its founders, Will MacAskill, check out this video!
Who we are
As part of the broader Effective Altruism movement, EA at UCLA is dedicated to building a community of people who seek to continuously investigate strategies to improve the world and apply them in our lives.
We run fellowships during which we discover and discuss new ideas, reading groups and writing projects, and events including retreats and socials. At our weekly meetings (open to all), you’ll hear board members, general members, and guest speakers give in-depth presentations on EA ideas and organizations, and receive guidance on applying to conferences and other opportunities.