Effective Altruism: Implications for the Social Work Profession: Part I

The concept of effective altruism has been prominent in moral philosophy since 2009.Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement which applies evidence and reason to determine the most effective ways to improve the world.The core tenets of effective altruism are remarkably consistent with social work's values and mission.Ironically, social work's literature does not include any in-depth discussion of effective altruism.This article (Part I of II) discusses the concept of effective altruism; identifies its core components; and explores the rich relevance of effective altruism to social work's principal aims as defined by the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.The companion article (Part II) focuses on the relevance of two key elements of effective altruism as this movement pertains to social work: distributive justice and empiricism.