In this discussion, we talk about

• Why Jo joined Physios Giving Well
• “Emotional” giving
• GiveWell and Effective Altruism
• The book “Making Evil” by Dr. Julia Shaw
  https://www.amazon.com/Making-Evil-Science-Behind-Humanitys/dp/1786891301
• The research Evie talks about – relating to how people feel less empathy for two than for one child – is about “compassion fade”, a phrase coined by psychologist Paul Slovic. Study here https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0100115#s2

From the discussion: “The results from four studies show that affective feelings about charitable causes were strongest for a single endangered person and began to decline as the number in danger grew
larger. In support of compassion fade, both self-report and physiological measures of affect showed that positive affect declined substantially when the group size was two or more. This decrease in positive affect was related to lower donations”.

• Luck and the nonsensical concept of “getting what you deserve”
• What and who determines who we become
• We wonder why the concept of Effective Altruism resonates strongly with some people, but not with others.
• Empathy doesn’t necessarily make you do the good or right thing.
• The “Big Things” for living an ethical life:
  1. What you do with your (extra) money or donations
  2. What you do with your career
  3. Which ideas you choose to spread

The Physios Giving Well group as a strange, fun and overall adorable community to be part of.

Join Us! Let us know on twitter @onlinephysios or email
hello@physiosonline.co.uk if you’d like to join our community.