Yes, from the outside his fervent desire to donate a kidney looks like a compensation for his rationalism. Personally, I find EA to be uncompelling because it i

Yes, from the outside his fervent desire to donate a kidney looks like a compensation for his rationalism. Personally, I find EA to be uncompelling because it implicitly assumes both that there are objective universal values and that price and value are in direct proportion. Even if we could agree on our values (historically we can't), I don't believe that there is a pricing model that could possibly get this right. But even if such a model existed, it still would be unsatisfying for me to do proxy work to satisfy the model (i.e. earn to give) rather than the direct embodied work in the world that needs to be done. It is unsurprising to me that people attracted to rationalism/EA get stuck in this tension and find a need to demonstrate their values in an embodied way. Interestingly, anonymous kidney donation is both embodied and abstract unless you have a relationship with the recipient. I admire that the author had the conviction to act on their principles, but I also have a suspicion that this will not truly resolve the internal conflict that led to their act.