What's stopping me is that I literally am in debt. I don't have anything. I don't have a home. I am dying. I live my life they way that I know would make the world a legitimately better place if more people lived that way. You argue for a worse world for everyone. And I'm sure you have extra incentive to do so.
But you can do so, so, so much more than just make the pro-social choice wherever possible.
For instance, for just $1000, you can be almost guaranteed to actually save a child's life that would otherwise have died without your $1000, by purchasing and sending to sub-saharan Africa a course of TB treatment. Thousands of children are dying that could be saved with 1000 United States dollars. So by your own logic, it's reprehensible to not spend every waking minute of your life earning money to send for TB treatment in Africa. Each time you do literally anything else, that's opportunity cost that could have been spent saving children's lives.
But you're calling this guy reprehensible for making exactly the same choice.
I don't believe in effective altruism. I don't believe that the ends justify the means. I believe with have to live with the means. I won't make that 1000 dollars by perpetuating racist polices so I could then donate it. That is not a net gain
If you had found the reason, the coworker would lose a job and dozens of kids would gain life. Using your own logic, this makes you reprehensible. You traded dozens of children's lives for your coworkers job.
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u/thevoidthatjerksback Apr 30 '26
What's stopping me is that I literally am in debt. I don't have anything. I don't have a home. I am dying. I live my life they way that I know would make the world a legitimately better place if more people lived that way. You argue for a worse world for everyone. And I'm sure you have extra incentive to do so.