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I think your skepticism goes too far. If you sincerely would like to help through charitable donations, it would be enough to find one charity and give your mon
by yboris 4y ago
I think your skepticism goes too far. If you sincerely would like to help through charitable donations, it would be enough to find one charity and give your money there -- you don't have to engage in the project of finding out what fraction of charities are doing good or bad.
Have you looked at GiveWell's review process? What doubts do you have that the charities GiveWell recommends are close-to-impeccable? Are you suggesting the documentation of interviews, onsite visits, etc are not based on reality? To insist on principle without looking at how things are seems to be a disingenuous armchair philosophizing, rather than a desire to do any good.
- bheadmaster 4y agoI think your skepticism doesn't go far enough. The fact that charity organizations are given holy status and exempted from skepticism actually gives greedy individuals more incentive to use them as a cover for money-grabbing schemes. The same reason Vatican is also a hotspot of corruption and crime. > To insist on principle without looking at how things are seems to be a disingenuous armchair philosophizing, rather than a desire to do any good. To insist that greed is not a powerful human motivator, much more powerful than altruism, is being naive.
- yboris 4y agoI just have one question - have you looked at GiveWell and the type of work they are doing, or are you armchair philosophizing?
- bheadmaster 4y agoThat is a loaded question and I will not answer it, as it demonstrates that you're discussing this in bad faith. You are implying that, if I haven't looked at the website you linked, I must be "armchair philosophizing" - there's no third option. If you rephrase that question without the false dichotomy, and preferably with an explanation what exact difference does it make whether or not I looked, I'll be glad to answer it.
- citizenpaul 4y agoYou are naive. I've known a number of people that have spent a good portion of their lives working in charities. They all have the same story. Living in near poverty themselves to help people in need. The one day they wake up and realize that the charity is not only taking advantage of them, but also exploiting the money they take even though they make it look good on paper. The problem with free anonymous money is that the temptation to grift it is just too high and eventually someone in power will succumb to the temptation. I encourage you to go to a charity event. Take note of something while you are there. How many beautiful women are around? I guarantee you it will be significantly higher than any normal place. Ask yourself why this is? There are a number of reasons but a big one is that many charities are simply vanity projects for bored housewives and daughters of rich men. (points at united way) Even if they do some good it is a highly diluted version of what it should be. The purpose is not aligned. If you really are a good person and not simply patting yourself on the back for the feel goods of dropping a $20 in the charity box. I encourage you to take a much deeper look into what charities really are and how much good they actually do. Maybe you just got lucky and got involved with a serious charity at one point in your life but they are not in the bigger picture as magnanimous on a whole. FYI you are probably not going to find real answers on the internet. Charities are acutely are aware of that public face.
- yboris 4y agoIt doesn't sound like you are aware of GiveWell's work.