Table of Contents
When we talk about doing good, having a positive effect or using the English word impact , we mean creating increased well-being – improving others’ opportunities for healthy, happy and fulfilling lives that are free from unnecessary suffering. How much good an action does therefore depends on how many people’s well-being is affected and by how much.
We strive to be impartial about whose welfare we care about. For one thing, we do not attach importance to factors such as ethnicity or gender. We also don’t care where someone lives. If we can do more good with our resources for people who live on the other side of the world, we should, all things being equal, prioritize that over doing less good for people who live geographically closer to us. Nor do we believe—and this is probably a thought new to many—that there is good reason to discriminate against the well-being of others based on time. This means that it is important to also take into account future generations when we evaluate how we can do the most good. We also believe that animal welfare should be considered, but are unsure how much.