Notes on Effective Altruism

Quantum computing researcher and writer Michael Nielsen's June 2022 long-form working notes on Effective Altruism. Self-described as "disorganised rough thinking, not a polished essay," they work through what he finds compelling about EA (the use of evidence and reason to benefit others as much as possible), why he's not himself an effective altruist, why the mindset feels foreign to him, and what alternative moral frameworks for doing good might look like. A characteristically honest exploration from someone EA-adjacent rather than EA-aligned.