# Should you give to homeless people on the street? > A donor torn between effective charity and the moral pull of direct human contact explores whether optimization can answer every ethical question. - Title: Should you give to homeless people on the street? · Vox - Summary: A donor torn between effective charity and the moral pull of direct human contact explores whether optimization can answer every ethical question… - Keywords: charity, effective altruism, homelessness, moral philosophy, giving, optimization, ethics, news, culture, give, homeless, people - Source: Vox — https://vox.com/future-perfect/372519/charity-giving-effective-altruism-mutual-aid-homeless - Author: Sigal Samuel - Published: 2024-09-22T11:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: charity, effective altruism, homelessness, moral philosophy, giving, optimization, ethics, news, culture ## The dilemma A donor gives ten percent of salary to effective charities fighting poverty abroad but feels callous ignoring homeless people asking for money on city streets. ## One value, one strategy The core value is helping people. The strategy masquerading as a value is optimization: the drive to help as effectively as possible. ## Optimization's rise Since the seventeen hundreds, utilitarian thinkers have pushed the idea that ethics should focus on maximizing utility, meaning happiness or satisfaction. ## Optimization everywhere The logic appears in work culture with productivity hacks, wellness culture with optimal sleep, and Silicon Valley urging us to quantify ourselves with Fitbits and Apple Watches. ## Effective altruism's case Effective altruists note that the most effective charities produce one hundred times more benefit than average ones. Why not get the biggest bang for your buck? ## Optimization's limits Not every domain in life can be optimized without compromising values. Trying to optimize helping others means deciding what neediness means. ## Jewish tradition's insight Ancient rabbis understood that poor people need psychological dignity, not just survival money. They should have enough to give charity themselves. > giving is an essential part of human dignity ## Shame and dignity Rabbis also recognized that those who fell from wealth feel acute shame. They suggested helping by offering not just necessities but nicer things from former lifestyles. ## Incommensurable goods Preventing malaria, alleviating depression, saving lives versus improving them, helping children versus adults: these cannot be directly compared in one currency. ## The cost of simplification To optimize, you must artificially simplify by pretending there are only apples, no oranges. This means ignoring unhoused people, damaging your moral conscience. ## Effective altruism's own doubts Rationalist Eliezer Yudkowsky advises donating some money to causes that feel good but do not produce maximum utility. Purchase fuzzies and utilons separately. > purchase fuzzies and utilons separately ## Integrity and wholeness Philosopher Bernard Williams argued that moral agency belongs to specific people with specific commitments. A mother has special duties to her own child, not equal duties to all. ## Your divided self Ignoring homeless people alienates you from the part of you moved by their suffering. That caring part is no less valuable than your optimizing brain. ## No perfect formula Different types of help are useful in their own way. You can divvy up your budget between them even though there is no perfect formula for optimal allocations. ## A diversified approach Keep small cash or gift cards for unhoused people you meet. Donate to local charities with strong track records. Support highly effective charities abroad. ## Honor your full self Do not let optimization eat the real value you hold dear. Your desire for a magic formula is distinct from your core commitment to helping people. > Don't let optimization eat the real value you hold dear ## Key takeaway Optimization cannot reduce all forms of helping to a single measure. Honoring your full moral self means diversifying your giving across different types of aid.