I think that’s generally true of utilitarianism, but utilitarianism being very difficult to put into practice isn’t an excuse to avoid making any attempt to det

I think that’s generally true of utilitarianism, but utilitarianism being very difficult to put into practice isn’t an excuse to avoid making any attempt to determine effectiveness. For example, if someone goes from “I don’t believe in utilitarianism” to “therefore there is no reason to do trials to determine which medicines are effective because any medicine could indirectly do something good, who knows” then I think something has gone wrong? Similarly, it doesn’t mean we can’t make rough guesses about effectiveness and avoid all the charities that, while well-intended, are unlikely to move the needle. Somehow, though, some EA people convince themselves to donate to very speculative causes anyway. I think the answer is just: don’t do that? You can stick with things that are likely to work. And there are not zero ways to put it into practice. Donating through GiveWell is something you can do.