About

Effective altruism (EA) is a research field and social movement built around a simple question: how can we use our time and resources to do the most good? The ideas took shape at Oxford University in the late 2000s and early 2010s, drawing on earlier work by philosophers like Peter Singer, whose 1972 essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” argued that we have a strong obligation to help those in need, wherever they are.

EA began with a focus on effective giving: directing donations to charities shown by rigorous evidence to save or improve the most lives per dollar. Organizations like One for the World make it easy to start. Since then, the community has broadened to other causes that are large in scale, neglected, and tractable, including global health and poverty, animal welfare, and reducing catastrophic risks such as pandemics, nuclear war, and advanced AI.

Columbia Effective Altruism brings together students who want to think carefully about these questions and act on what they find. Through discussion groups, speaker events, and fellowships, we build a community for rigorous, open-minded conversation about how to make a real difference.