Stanford philosopher Leif Wenar examines Effective Altruism (EA):

• EA is a philosophy that has captured the minds of tech billionaires and elite university students, but it is morally bankrupt at its core.

• EA's most famous adherent, Sam Bankman-Fried, epitomizes its flaws. He used "expected value" thinking to justify unethical behavior in pursuit of his goals.

• EA philosophers like Toby Ord and Will MacAskill make grandiose claims about "saving lives" based on flimsy evidence and reasoning. They downplay potential harms and unintended consequences.

• Organizations like GiveWell, which recommends EA charities, lack transparency about possible negative impacts and uncertainties in their analyses. They should report potential deaths caused alongside "lives saved."

• EA thinking is based on flawed "expected value" reasoning that rationalizes unethical actions in the name of doing good

• The EA community suffers from groupthink, overconfidence, and lack of accountability to the people impacted by its actions

• EA has shifted to an even more speculative "longtermist" philosophy focused on far-future scenarios. This allows them to avoid accountability for being wrong.

• The tech billionaires funding EA seem to care more about being "heroes who save humanity" than carefully considering real-world consequences. The philosophers enable this grandiosity.

• EA needs more epistemic humility, concern for potential harms, and accountability to those impacted by its actions. Its current philosophy is primitive and dangerous.