“From feelings to action: spreadsheets as an act of compassion” by Zachary Robinson🔸

This is a transcript of my opening talk at EA Global: London 2025. In my talk, I challenge the misconception that EA is populated by “cold, uncaring, spreadsheet-obsessed robots” and explain how EA principles serve as tools for putting compassion into practice, translating our feelings about the world's problems into effective action.

Key points:

• Most people involved in EA are here because of their feelings, not despite them. Many of us are driven by emotions like anger about neglected global health needs, sadness about animal suffering, or fear about AI risks. What distinguishes us as a community isn't that we don't feel; it's that we don't stop at feeling — we act. Two examples:
  • When USAID cuts threatened critical health programs, GiveWell mobilized $24 million in emergency funding within weeks.
  • People from the EA ecosystem spotted AI risks years ahead of the mainstream and pioneered funding for the field [...]

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First published:

June 13th, 2025

Source:

https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/eT823dqNAhdRXBYvb/from-feelings-to-action-spreadsheets-as-an-act-of-compassion

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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