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Earning to give - Wikipedia
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Background reference on earning to give, an EA-adjacent strategy relevant to understanding how AI safety organizations are funded and how some individuals choose to support the field financially rather than through direct research.
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Summary
Wikipedia article explaining 'earning to give,' an effective altruism strategy where individuals pursue high-paying careers specifically to donate a substantial portion of their income to high-impact charities. The article covers its origins in the effective altruism movement, key proponents like Peter Singer and 80,000 Hours, and debates about its merits versus direct work.
Key Points
- •Earning to give involves deliberately choosing a lucrative career to maximize charitable donations rather than working directly in a cause area.
- •The strategy gained prominence through the effective altruism movement, particularly via 80,000 Hours and philosopher Peter Singer.
- •Proponents argue it can be more impactful than direct work if donations fund multiple full-time workers in high-impact roles.
- •Critics raise concerns about complicity in harmful industries, personal fulfillment, and whether direct work may be more valuable in talent-constrained fields.
- •The approach is relevant to AI safety funding considerations, as some practitioners earn to give specifically to support AI safety organizations.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Earning to Give: The EA Strategy and Its Limits | -- | 63.0 |
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# Earning to give
Earning to give
Pursuit of high income to donate more
**Earning to give** involves deliberately pursuing a high-earning career for the purpose of donating a significant portion of earned income, typically because of a desire to do [effective altruism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effective_altruism "Effective altruism"). Advocates of earning to give contend that maximizing the amount one can donate to charity is an important consideration for individuals when deciding what career to pursue.[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-kristof-1)
## Proponents
In his 1872 sermon "The Use of Money",[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-2) theologian [John Wesley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley "John Wesley") urged followers: "Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then "give all you can."" In the 1996 book _[Living High and Letting Die](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_High_and_Letting_Die "Living High and Letting Die")_, the philosopher [Peter Unger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Unger "Peter Unger") wrote that it was morally praiseworthy and perhaps even morally required for people in academia who could earn substantially greater salaries in the business world to leave academia, earn the greater salaries, and donate most of the extra money to charity.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-Unger-3) Moral philosopher [Peter Singer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Singer "Peter Singer") laid the foundations for effective altruism and earning to give in his 1971 essay " [Famine, Affluence and Morality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine,_Affluence,_and_Morality "Famine, Affluence, and Morality")" and since advocated for donating considerable amounts of one's income to effective charitable organizations.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-4) Singer is a public proponent of effective altruism and endorsed earning to give in his 2013 [TED talk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TED_talk "TED talk").[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-5) Associate Professor in Philosophy at Oxford University [William MacAskill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_MacAskill "William MacAskill") promoted earning to give as one possible high impact career in several news articles and in his 2015 book [_Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_Good_Better "Doing Good Better").[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-6)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-:0-7) MacAskill is the co-founder and president of [80,000 Hours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80,000_Hours "80,000 Hours"), a nonprofit which conducts research on careers with positive social impact and provides career advice.[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earning_to_give#cite_note-8) Initia
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