I sometimes give money to homeless people when I see them around London. Not always - sometimes I don’t have any change on me, and sometimes I do have change but don’t give it away for whatever reason (maybe because I’m in a hurry, or maybe because I want to use to change to buy something from the shop and I’m too selfish to forego my purchase, or maybe something else). But I probably do give money around 50% of the time I see someone begging next to a supermarket or a bus stop. Imagine that I made a decision: every time I saw a homeless person and felt the urge to give them money, I would refrain from doing so, and instead make a mental note of the amount I was going to give them, and gave it to the
As a high-decoupler, I think it's only reasonable to extend the thought experiment to *taking* money and donating it to an effective charity. Also some transaction that involves complex numbers.
But seriously, when I think about these sorts of things I also factor in the pragmatic effect on propensity to donate anything. It's not exactly in the ethical realm that you're trying to write about, but I figure that (given that a donor's post-donation feelings will impact future donation amounts) trying to establish one right answer will leave a significant fraction of people feeling blocked from whichever option (tangible or abstract) would feel emotionally sustainable to them.
I don't think the thought experiment caveat about beggars never spending money on alcohol or drugs is reasonable. Warm food and shelter are available for free, for rough sleepers in any city in the UK. Most beggars are doing so specifically to feed a drug habit, and 80-90% of beggars are not homeless to begin with.
Can You Be Too Rational About Giving Away Money?
As a high-decoupler, I think it's only reasonable to extend the thought experiment to *taking* money and donating it to an effective charity. Also some transaction that involves complex numbers.
But seriously, when I think about these sorts of things I also factor in the pragmatic effect on propensity to donate anything. It's not exactly in the ethical realm that you're trying to write about, but I figure that (given that a donor's post-donation feelings will impact future donation amounts) trying to establish one right answer will leave a significant fraction of people feeling blocked from whichever option (tangible or abstract) would feel emotionally sustainable to them.
I don't think the thought experiment caveat about beggars never spending money on alcohol or drugs is reasonable. Warm food and shelter are available for free, for rough sleepers in any city in the UK. Most beggars are doing so specifically to feed a drug habit, and 80-90% of beggars are not homeless to begin with.