The world faces many challenges, from climate change to global poverty. Faced with these problems, it can be hard to know where to begin. How do I pick what to work on? How do I apply my skills and resources to do the most good? Effective Altruism offers one way to address these questions by identifying the most important problems of our time – large, solvable, and neglected by others.
In this seminar, we will take a closer look at Effective Altruism, discussing its potential, shortcomings, and implications. We will first identify the tools Effective Altruism uses to compare and identify problems to work on. We will then think about the challenges facing humanity, for instance, global extreme poverty, the looming threat of climate change, and emerging technologies that change our lives in seemingly unpredictable ways. Following a critical assessment of Effective Altruism itself, we finally aim to provide time to reflect on how we can do good in our own careers, considering how Effective Altruism can help or hinder us in trying to do so.
Location: Hotel Schloss Gerzensee
Schedule: Saturday 9 am – Sunday 6 pm
Working language: English
Lead:
Lara Thurnherr, Bachelor student in History and Public Law, University of Bern, Scholar of the Swiss Study Foundation
Simon Grimm, Master student in Clinical Medicine, University of Basel, Scholar of the Swiss Study Foundation
Rafaela Schinner, Bachelor student of Philosophy and Economy, University of Fribourg, Scholar of the Swiss Study Foundation
Coordination: Dr. Barbara Dankwa-Egli
Administration: Michelle Hug
Participants (max): 25
Reader: Will be announced prior to the event.
Target audience: People with a strong drive to make the world a better place, interest in quantitative methods, economics, and ethics
