Effective Altruism in between Right-Wing and Left-Wing Anarchisms

Abstract

What is the difference between left-wing anarchism and right-wing anarchism, also called libertarianism? The present article proposes to answer this question by using Peter Singer’s “effective altruism” theory as a middle ground between them. “Effective altruism,” Singer writes, “is based on a very simple idea: we should do the most good we can.”1 It follows from “the project of using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis.”2 Effective altruism then appears as a mix between social redistribution and moral calculation. It clearly presents itself as a branch of utilitarianism. I intend to question the political status of this project. Is effective altruism able to provide a new anarchist vision of politics through the practices of the nonreciprocal gift? Does it interrupt the logic of profit or does it, on the contrary, aggravate it?