Programs
Structured reading groups that take you from "what is this?" to having a real view of your own. Free, and open to students and professionals.
The Introductory EA Program
Six weeks, one session a week, in a small group with a facilitator. Each week has a short set of readings — usually under an hour — and then you spend an hour and a half talking them through with the same handful of people.
It is the single best way into effective altruism. You get the ideas in a sensible order, the strongest objections alongside them, and people to argue with rather than a reading list you will never finish.
The essentials
- Length
- 6 weeks
- Per week
- ~1 hour reading + 1.5 hour discussion
- Format
- Small group, in person, with a facilitator
- Cost
- Free
- Runs
- Every semester
- Prerequisites
- None at all
Roughly what the six weeks cover
The curriculum gets updated each round, so treat this as the shape rather than the exact syllabus.
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The effectiveness mindset
Why the gap between good and great giving is so large, and what follows from that.
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Differences in impact
Scale, neglectedness and tractability as a way of comparing very different problems.
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Radical empathy
Whose interests count — across distance, species and time — and why that is harder than it sounds.
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Our final century?
Existential risk: pandemics, AI, nuclear weapons, and what taking low-probability catastrophes seriously implies.
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What do you think?
The strongest criticisms of effective altruism, and where you personally land.
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What next?
Turning any of it into a concrete plan — career, giving, projects — and deciding what you will actually do.
After the intro program
Where people usually go next.
In-depth program
A longer follow-on for people who finished the intro and want to go deeper into a cause area or into the harder arguments.
Facilitating
Running a group of your own is the fastest way to actually learn this material. We train facilitators each semester.
Career planning
One-to-one conversations, 80,000 Hours advising, and workshops on turning a vague direction into applications.
Projects and research
Theses, side projects and volunteering. If you have an idea, we can usually find you someone who has done something similar.
Questions people ask
Do I need to know anything about EA beforehand?
No. The program is built for people starting from zero.
Do I have to agree with effective altruism?
No, and it is a better group when not everyone does. Week five is largely about the criticisms. Plenty of people finish unconvinced and stay involved anyway.
What if I miss a week?
It happens — tell your facilitator. Missing more than a couple makes it hard for the group, so if you know it will be a bad six weeks, take the next cohort instead.
Is it only for students?
No. We run groups for students and for working people, usually at different times of day.
When does the next one start?
Each semester. The dates go on the events calendar and in the WhatsApp group as soon as they are set.
Six weeks, no cost, no commitment after
Applications open before the start of each semester.