Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Bi Chen 校对人员: Scarlett Huang

There's something that I'd like you to see.

我想先让大家看一段视频。

(Video) Reporter: It's a story that's deeply unsettled

（录像）记者：这是发生在中国的

millions in China:

一宗令人深感不安的事故：

footage of a two-year-old girl

一名两岁大的小女孩

hit by a van and left bleeding in the street by passersby,

被一辆小型货车撞倒后血流满地而路人漠然置之，

footage too graphic to be shown.

现场惨不忍睹！

The entire accident is caught on camera.

整个事故被监控录像录了下来。

The driver pauses after hitting the child,

司机撞人后停了一下车（然后逃逸），

his back wheels seen resting on her for over a second.

汽车的后轮被录到停在小女孩的身上有一秒多时间。

Within two minutes, three people pass two-year-old Wang Yue by.

事故发生后两分种内，有三名路人从受害人王悦的身边经过。

The first walks around the badly injured toddler completely.

第一名路人直接从身受重伤的小女孩身边绕了过去。

Others look at her before moving off.

其余两人停下来看了一下然后走开了。

Peter Singer: There were other people

彼得·辛格（Peter Singer）: 当时还有另外一些人

who walked past Wang Yue,

从王悦身边经过，

and a second van ran over her legs

接着，另一辆小型货车又碾过她的双腿，

before a street cleaner raised the alarm.

最后是一名捡垃圾的阿姨报的警。

She was rushed to hospital, but it was too late. She died.

小王悦被紧急送院，但为时已晚。她最后不治身亡。

I wonder how many of you, looking at that,

我在想，看到这种情形，你们有多少人

said to yourselves just now, "I would not have done that.

(刚才)会对自己说：“我不会这样见死不救的，

I would have stopped to help."

我会停下来参与抢救“

Raise your hands if that thought occurred to you.

有过这样想法的听众麻烦举一下手。

As I thought, that's most of you.

不出我所料，你们大部分人都会伸出授手。

And I believe you. I'm sure you're right.

我相信大家。我敢肯定你做对了。

But before you give yourself too much credit,

但在表扬你自己之前，

look at this.

我们来看看这个。

UNICEF reports that in 2011,

联合国儿童基金会报告说，2011年，

6.9 million children under five

有六百九十万名五岁以下的儿童

died from preventable, poverty-related diseases.

死于可预防的、和贫穷有关的疾病。

UNICEF thinks that that's good news

联合国儿童基金会认为这是个好消息

because the figure has been steadily coming down

因为这个数字已经从1990年的一千二百万

from 12 million in 1990. That is good.

持续下降到目前位置。这是好消息。

But still, 6.9 million

可人数还是有六百九十万之多，

is 19,000 children dying every day.

这相当于每天死于非命的儿童多达一万九千人啊！

Does it really matter

与帮助这些孩子相比

that we're not walking past them in the street?

我们在街头交通事故中救一个人就是小事一桩了吧？

Does it really matter that they're far away?

难道他们离我们很远我们就可以漠然置之吗？

I don't think it does make a morally relevant difference.

从道德层面来看，我认为两者没有很大的区别。

The fact that they're not right in front of us,

他们不发生在我们面前，

the fact, of course, that they're of a different nationality

当然，他们和我们不同国籍和种族

or race, none of that seems morally relevant to me.

这些对我来说并不重要。

What is really important is,

重要的是，

can we reduce that death toll? Can we save

我们能降低这些孩子的死亡率吗？

some of those 19,000 children dying every day?

我们能救救每天面临死亡威胁的19，000个孩子当中的一些人吗？

And the answer is, yes we can.

答案是肯定的。

Each of us spends money

我们每一个人都有过

on things that we do not really need.

将钱花在无关紧要的事情上的经历。

You can think what your own habit is,

你可以思考一下你的爱好者是什么,

whether it's a new car, a vacation

是不是一辆新车、一次度假

or just something like buying bottled water

还是只买瓶装水

when the water that comes out of the tap

而你明明可以

is perfectly safe to drink.

饮用这些绝对符合饮用标准的自来水。

You could take the money you're spending

你可以将这些花在无谓的事情上

on those unnecessary things

过度开支省下来

and give it to this organization,

将它捐给

the Against Malaria Foundation,

防治疟疾基金会，

which would take the money you had given

基金会将会用你的善款

and use it to buy nets like this one

买一些象这样的网

to protect children like this one,

来防止象这样的孩子患上疟疾，

and we know reliably that if we provide nets,

而我们明确知道如果我们能提供这种网，

they're used, and they reduce the number of children

它们就能降低

dying from malaria,

孩子们死于疟疾的数量，

just one of the many preventable diseases

疟疾只是很多种可防可控的、

that are responsible for some of those 19,000 children

能导致每天19，000多名孩子

dying every day.

死于非命的疾病之一。

Fortunately, more and more people

幸运的是，越来越多的人

are understanding this idea,

意识到了这点，

and the result is a growing movement:

由此滋生了越来越多的

effective altruism.

高效的利它主义。

It's important because it combines both the heart and the head.

利它主义很重要，因为它是善心与智慧的结合。

The heart, of course, you felt.

当然，善心是可以看得到的。

You felt the empathy for that child.

你自己可以感觉得到你对孩子的同情心。

But it's really important to use the head as well

但有同情心的同时还要有智慧

to make sure that what you do is effective and well-directed,

确保你所做的是高效的和正确的，

and not only that, but also I think reason helps us

不仅如此，我认为，理性有助于我们

to understand that other people, wherever they are,

了解别人，无论他们来自哪里，

are like us, that they can suffer as we can,

他们也都和我们一样会受到伤害

that parents grieve for the deaths of their children,

那些父母也会为孩子的逝去而悲伤

as we do,

我们也会。

and that just as our lives and our well-being matter to us,

这就象生命和健康对我们来说很重要一样,

it matters just as much to all of these people.

这对大家来说都很重要。

So I think reason is not just some neutral tool

所以，我认为理性不仅仅是一种中性的工具

to help you get whatever you want.

帮助你获得你想要的。

It does help us to put perspective on our situation.

它确实有助于我们设心处地地为别人考虑

And I think that's why

这就是为什么

many of the most significant people in effective altruism

很多在利它主义事业中做得比较成功的人士

have been people who have had backgrounds

都是一些有着

in philosophy or economics or math.

哲学或经济学背景的人。

And that might seem surprising,

这看起来可能有些奇怪，

because a lot of people think,

因为很多人会想

"Philosophy is remote from the real world;

“哲学离现实生活很远；

economics, we're told, just makes us more selfish,

而经济学会让我们变得更自私，

and we know that math is for nerds."

我们还知道，学数学的都是些书呆子。”

But in fact it does make a difference,

可，事实上，学没学过这些学科差异是巨大的，

and in fact there's one particular nerd

事实上，有一种书呆子

who has been a particularly effective altruist

却是一种非常高效的利它主义者

because he got this.

因为他有这些素养。

This is the website of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,

这是比尔和梅林达·盖茨基金会的网站,

and if you look at the words on the top right-hand side,

其网页右上角上有一句话是这样说的

it says, "All lives have equal value."

“所有的生命都有同等的价值”

That's the understanding,

这就是我们对我们所生存的世界的理解

the rational understanding of our situation in the world

----理性的理解

that has led to these people

而这种理解

being the most effective altruists in history,

使得这些人成了史上最高效的利它主义者-----

Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

比尔和梅林达·盖茨和沃伦·巴菲特。

(Applause)

（掌声）

No one, not Andrew Carnegie, not John D. Rockefeller,

无论是安德鲁·卡内基还是约翰·D·洛克菲勒,

has ever given as much to charity

从来都没有一个人

as each one of these three,

象这三个人一样为慈善事业作出如此巨大的贡献，

and they have used their intelligence

而他们用的是他们的聪明才智

to make sure that it is highly effective.

来确保他们所做的是最高效的。

According to one estimate, the Gates Foundation

据估计，比尔和梅林达·盖茨基金会

has already saved 5.8 million lives

已经救了五百八十万生命

and many millions more, people, getting diseases

或更多

that would have made them very sick,

患了很严重疾病的人，

even if eventually they survived.

最终这些病人活了下来。

Over the coming years, undoubtably the Gates Foundation

将来，毫无疑问，比尔和梅林达·盖茨基金会

is going to give a lot more,

将会发挥更大的作用,

is going to save a lot more lives.

抢救更多的生命。

Well, you might say, that's fine if you're a billionaire,

可能你会说，如果你是一名亿万富翁

you can have that kind of impact.

你才有那种影响力。

But if I'm not, what can I do?

可我不是，我能帮得上什么呢？

So I'm going to look at four questions that people ask

所以，我们来看看人们常问的

that maybe stand in the way of them giving.

成为他们捐赠障碍的四个问题。

They worry how much of a difference they can make.

他们担心他们的善款如杯水车薪一般帮不上什么忙。

But you don't have to be a billionaire.

可做善事你不必非得是一名亿万富翁。

This is Toby Ord. He's a research fellow in philosophy

这是Toby Ord。

at the University of Oxford.

他是牛津大学哲学研究员。

He became an effective altruist when he calculated

他之所以成为一名高效的利它主义者，是他算出

that with the money that he was likely to earn

凭他一辈子从职业生涯中挣来的钱

throughout his career, an academic career,

---也就是他在大学里挣的薪水---

he could give enough to cure 80,000 people of blindness

他可以捐出足够的钱来救治

in developing countries

发展中国家的8万名眼疾患者，让他们不至失明

and still have enough left

而他自己仍然可以留出足够

for a perfectly adequate standard of living.

维持正常生活水平的资金。

So Toby founded an organization

所以，Toby创立了一个

called Giving What We Can to spread this information,

名叫"能捐多少算多少(Giving What We Can)"的组织来传播这一信息，

to unite people who want to share some of their income,

其目的是团结那些想与别人分享自己的薪水的人

and to ask people to pledge to give 10 percent

并呼吁人们承诺

of what they earn over their lifetime

捐出自己一生所挣薪水的10%

to fighting global poverty.

来解决全球的贫困问题。

Toby himself does better than that.

Toby 自己捐出的善款式远不止10%。

He's pledged to live on 18,000 pounds a year --

他承诺每年只给自己留出一万八千英镑的生活费用

that's less than 30,000 dollars --

----不足三万美金----

and to give the rest to those organizations.

然后把其余薪水捐给那些组织机构。

And yes, Toby is married and he does have a mortgage.

当然，Toby也是一名已婚人士，也有银行按揭要还。

This is a couple at a later stage of life,

这是一对年纪比较大的夫妇,

Charlie Bresler and Diana Schott,

查理·布雷斯勒和戴安娜肖特，

who, when they were young, when they met,

年轻时，他们相识于

were activists against the Vietnam War,

反对越南战争

fought for social justice,

争取社会公正的活动中，

and then moved into careers, as most people do,

然后他们象我们很多人一样开始自己的事业

didn't really do anything very active about those values,

并不再做一些与上述价值观相关的事情，

although they didn't abandon them.

尽管他们并没有完全放弃。

And then, as they got to the age at which many people

然后，当他们差不多到了很多人考虑退休的年龄时

start to think of retirement, they returned to them,

他们又重操旧业

and they've decided to cut back on their spending,

他们决定减少开支，

to live modestly, and to give both money and time

过简单的生活，将省下来的钱和时间

to helping to fight global poverty.

投入到解决全球穷困问题当中去。

Now, mentioning time might lead you to think,

说到时间，可能你会想：

"Well, should I abandon my career and put all of my time

“ 我真要放弃我的事业，然后将的我时间

into saving some of these 19,000 lives

投入到挽救那些

that are lost every day?"

每天死亡19,000条生命中去吗？”

One person who's thought quite a bit about this issue

有一个人，曾考虑过这个问题

of how you can have a career that will have

你怎么可能从事一个职业

the biggest impact for good in the world is Will Crouch.

又让它能最大程度地影响世界的人是威尔克劳奇。

He's a graduate student in philosophy,

他是一名哲学系的研究生，

and he's set up a website called 80,000 Hours,

他创办了一个名叫八万小时的网站，

the number of hours he estimates

据他估算，

most people spend on their career,

大多数人一生中花在事业上的时间大约是8万小时，

to advise people on how to have the best,

建议别人怎么获得最好的、

most effective career.

最有效的职业生涯。

But you might be surprised to know

但是，你可能会惊奇地发现

that one of the careers that he encourages people to consider,

他鼓励人们考虑的职业之一是，

if they have the right abilities and character,

如果他们拥有相关的能力和性格特征，

is to go into banking or finance.

从事银行或金融方面的工作。

Why? Because if you earn a lot of money,

为什么呢？因为如果你赚到足够的钱，

you can give away a lot of money,

你可以捐更多的钱，

and if you're successful in that career,

如果你成了那个行业中的佼佼者，

you could give enough to an aid organization

你可以为一个支援机构提供足够的资金

so that it could employ, let's say, five aid workers

这样它就可以雇佣5名

in developing countries, and each one of them

来自于发展中国家的支援工作者,

would probably do about as much good

他们当中的每一个人将可能做得

as you would have done.

和你们一样好。

So you can quintuple the impact

所以，你可以将这种影响放大五倍

by leading that kind of career.

通过这种职业。

Here's one young man who's taken this advice.

以下这名年青人采用了他的建议。

His name is Matt Weiger.

他的名字叫马特微格。

He was a student at Princeton in philosophy and math,

他是普林斯顿大学的一名哲学和数学系的学生，

actually won the prize for the best undergraduate philosophy thesis

实际上，去年他毕业时，他获得了最佳哲学论文奖

last year when he graduated.

他获得了最佳哲学毕业论文奖。

But he's gone into finance in New York.

可他却在纽约从事金融方面的工作。

He's already earning enough

他赚了不少钱

so that he's giving a six-figure sum to effective charities

所以，他给一些高效的慈善捐了六位数的善款

and still leaving himself with enough to live on.

而自己过得还相当富裕。

Matt has also helped me to set up an organization

马特还帮助我创办了一个组织

that I'm working with that has the name taken

组织的名字来自

from the title of a book I wrote,

我写的一本书的题目：

"The Life You Can Save,"

”你可以挽救的生命“

which is trying to change our culture

书的愿意是要试图改变我们的文化

so that more people think that

这样子，会有更多的人会想

if we're going to live an ethical life,

如果我们能过一种道德的生活，

it's not enough just to follow the thou-shalt-nots

只做好自己的本份、

and not cheat, steal, maim, kill,

不欺诈、还偷窃、不残害和不杀戮是不够的，

but that if we have enough, we have to share some of that

如果我们有足够的财力，我们应该分离其中的部分

with people who have so little.

和那些几乎一无所有的人分享部分。

And the organization draws together people

这一机构将

of different generations,

不同年龄阶层的人团结在一起,

like Holly Morgan, who's an undergraduate,

比如说荷利摩根，她是一名本科生，

who's pledged to give 10 percent

她承诺在自己微溥的工资中

of the little amount that she has,

捐出10%,

and on the right, Ada Wan,

右边这位是Ada Wan，

who has worked directly for the poor, but has now

她直接为穷人服务，但现在

gone to Yale to do an MBA to have more to give.

为了能赚到更多的钱，她去了耶鲁大学生读MBA。

Many people will think, though,

可是，很多人会认为

that charities aren't really all that effective.

慈善机构并不是那么有准备效率的。

So let's talk about effectiveness.

所以，让我们来看看效率问题。

Toby Ord is very concerned about this,

Toby Ord很关心这一点，

and he's calculated that some charities

经过他的计算发现，一些慈善机构

are hundreds or even thousands of times

会比另外一些慈善机构的效率

more effective than others,

高出成百上千倍，

so it's very important to find the effective ones.

所以，找到高效的慈善机构很重要。

Take, for example, providing a guide dog for a blind person.

让我们从为一名盲人提供导盲犬为例。

That's a good thing to do, right?

这是一件好事，对吧？

Well, right, it is a good thing to do,

对，这确实是一件好事，

but you have to think what else you could do with the resources.

但你得想一想，用这些资源你还可以做些什么。

It costs about 40,000 dollars to train a guide dog

训练一头导盲犬

and train the recipient so that the guide dog

和他的使用者以便它能更好地为盲人服务

can be an effective help to a blind person.

大约要花费4万美元.

It costs somewhere between 20 and 50 dollars

而我们大约只需要花20到50美元

to cure a blind person in a developing country

就可以治好一名发展中国家的盲人

if they have trachoma.

如果他们是因为沙眼致盲的话。

So you do the sums, and you get something like that.

所以，如果你稍为计一下数，你就会发现

You could provide one guide dog

你为一名美国盲人

for one blind American,

提供一头导盲犬的花费,

or you could cure between 400

可以治好400

and 2,000 people of blindness.

至2000位盲人。

I think it's clear what's the better thing to do.

我相信，我们应该做什么这是最明显不过的了。

But if you want to look for effective charities,

但如果你想寻找高效的慈善，

this is a good website to go to.

你可以上这个网站看看。

GiveWell exists to really assess the impact of charities,

GiveWell这个网站是一个专业的慈善评估网站，

not just whether they're well-run,

它不仅仅评估慈善机构是否经营良好，

and it's screened hundreds of charities

它筛选出了数百个慈善团体

and currently is recommending only three,

而目前它为我们推介了三个，

of which the Against Malaria Foundation is number one.

排第一的是反疟疾基金会。

So it's very tough. If you want to look for other recommendations,

所以，它很不错。如果你想找其它的，

thelifeyoucansave.com and Giving What We Can

thelifeyoucansave.com 和 Giving What We Can.

both have a somewhat broader list,

都可以为你提供一些选择，

but you can find effective organizations,

但你可以找到高效的组织，

and not just in the area of saving lives from the poor.

也不一定做拯救贫穷地区人们生命的领域。

I'm pleased to say that there is now also a website

我很高兴地告诉你，现在有一个网站

looking at effective animal organizations.

会提供一些高效的动物组织机构。

That's another cause that I've been concerned about

那是我一生一直在关注的另一项事业

all my life, the immense amount of suffering

由人类每年

that humans inflict

给那些亿万的动物带来的

on literally tens of billions of animals every year.

巨大痛苦。

So if you want to look for effective organizations

所以，如果你想找高效的机构

to reduce that suffering,

来降低这些动物的伤害，

you can go to Effective Animal Activism.

你可以访问 Effective Animal Activism网站。

And some effective altruists think it's very important

一些利它主义都认为

to make sure that our species survives at all.

确保所有物种的共存很重要。

So they're looking at ways to reduce the risk of extinction.

所以，他们花了大量的心血来降低动物灭绝的风险。

Here's one risk of extinction that we all became aware of

而最近我们大家都知道的一个巨大风险就是

recently, when an asteroid passed close to our planet.

一个小行星接近地球。

Possibly research could help us not only to predict

研究不仅可以帮助我们预测

the path of asteroids that might collide with us,

这颗小行星可能撞击地球的轨道，

but actually to deflect them.

而且还可以改变它的运行轨道。

So some people think that would be a good thing to give to.

所以，有人觉得很值得为些捐款。

There's many possibilities.

可这事有很多可能性的。

My final question is,

我的最后一个问题是，

some people will think it's a burden to give.

有些人认为，捐赠是一种负担。

I don't really believe it is.

我不这样认为。

I've enjoyed giving all of my life

我一直都在乐善布施

since I was a graduate student.

这习惯是自从我研究生毕业时就开始了的。

It's been something fulfilling to me.

捐赠对我来说有某种成就感。

Charlie Bresler said to me that he's not an altruist.

查理·布雷斯勒对我说他并不是一个利它主义者。

He thinks that the life he's saving is his own.

他认为他的挽救的那些人的命就是他自己的命。

And Holly Morgan told me that she used to battle depression

Holly Morgan 告诉我，她过去患有严重的抑郁症

until she got involved with effective altruism,

直到她成为一名高效的利它主义者之前都这样，

and now is one of the happiest people she knows.

而现在她成了世界上最快乐的人。

I think one of the reasons for this

我想原因之一就是

is that being an effective altruist helps to overcome

作为一名高效的利它主义者有助于克服

what I call the Sisyphus problem.

那种被我称为“西西弗斯问题”。

Here's Sisyphus as portrayed by Titian,

这是提香画的西西弗斯，

condemned by the gods to push a huge boulder

他触犯了众神，诸神惩罚他把一块巨石

up to the top of the hill.

推上山顶。

Just as he gets there, the effort becomes too much,

每当他快要到达山顶，他就体力不支，

the boulder escapes, rolls all the way down the hill,

石头就又滚下山去，

he has to trudge back down to push it up again,

于是他就得重头再来一次，

and the same thing happens again and again

不断地重复这件事

for all eternity.

永无休止地做这件事。

Does that remind you of a consumer lifestyle,

这会不会让你想起一种消费模式-----

where you work hard to get money,

努力赚钱

you spend that money on consumer goods

然后将钱花在消费品上

which you hope you'll enjoy using?

而你希望从中得到乐趣呢？

But then the money's gone, you have to work hard

当钱花完了时，你得再努力赚钱

to get more, spend more, and to maintain

赚更多、花更多的钱来维系相同水平的幸福感

the same level of happiness, it's kind of a hedonic treadmill.

它是一种享乐跑步机。

You never get off, and you never really feel satisfied.

你永远不会停下来，你也永远不会感到满足。

Becoming an effective altruist gives you

成为一名利它主义者

that meaning and fulfillment.

会给你的人生带来意义和成就感。

It enables you to have a solid basis for self-esteem

它让你有强大的自尊

on which you can feel your life was really worth living.

会让你觉得活着很有意义。

I'm going to conclude by telling you

下面我想用我收到的一封电子邮件

about an email that I received

来结束我的发言

while I was writing this talk just a month or so ago.

大约一个月前，当我收到这封邮件时我正在写这个演讲稿

It's from a man named Chris Croy, who I'd never heard of.

邮件是一名叫Chris Croy的陌生人写来的。

This is a picture of him showing him recovering from surgery.

这是一张他做完手术后正在康复的照片.

Why was he recovering from surgery?

为什么说他正在手术恢复中呢？

The email began, "Last Tuesday,

电邮是这样写的：“上星期二，

I anonymously donated my right kidney to a stranger.

我匿名给一名陌生人捐赠了我的右肾。

That started a kidney chain

这引起了一系列的捐肾连锁反应

which enabled four people to receive kidneys."

这让病人能找到肾源。”

There's about 100 people each year in the U.S.

美国每年大约有100个人

and more in other countries who do that.

其它国家更多。

I was pleased to read it. Chris went on to say

读至些外我很开心。Chris还说

that he'd been influenced by my writings in what he did.

他所做的受我的书的影响很大。

Well, I have to admit, I'm also somewhat embarrassed by that,

可我得承认，他这么说我也感到有点冏

because I still have two kidneys.

因为我还仍然有两个肾。

But Chris went on to say that he didn't think

但Chris说，他不认为

that what he'd done was all that amazing,

他所做的有什么了不起

because he calculated that the number of life-years

因为他计算过，

that he had added to people, the extension of life,

他为别人延长的寿命

was about the same that you could achieve

几乎和你捐５０００美元给反疟疾基金会

if you gave 5,000 dollars to the Against Malaria Foundation.

所起到的作用是一样的。

And that did make me feel a little bit better,

他这样说让我好受一点，

because I have given more than 5,000 dollars

因为我捐献的远不止5000美元

to the Against Malaria Foundation

给反疟疾基金会

and to various other effective charities.

和其它高效的慈善机构。

So if you're feeling bad

所以，如果你感觉不好

because you still have two kidneys as well,

只是因为你还有两只肾的话，

there's a way for you to get off the hook.

还有这种办法可以帮你脱离这纠结。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）