A Feminist Ethics of Care Critique of Effective Altruism

Abstract This essay introduces the concept of the rational-economic man and describes how the commitment to this concept influenced the rise of white men to places of power in the animal advocacy movement. It also shows how the precepts of Effective Altruism (EA) adhere to this concept. It examines the privilege that Effective Altruists like Peter Singer and Jeff Sebo fail to consider in forwarding EA. It suggests that an alternative ethical approach exists, a “feminist ethics of care,” but that through the abjection of sympathy or sentiment in a patriarchal culture, it becomes disregarded as Effective Altruism opts for an arid rationality. And yet, because each person, including theorists, are located somewhere, individuals will find the approach of Effective Altruism cannot illumine the decision-making required from our specific social locations. Finally, it considers how Animal Charity Evaluators contributed to the harm of sexual exploitation while making it harder to fix the problem.