The effective altruism movement and the 80000 hours project in particular seem to be stellar implementations of this line of thinking.
Also seconding the doubts about the refrain from saving puppies—at the very least, extending compassion to other clusters in mindspace not too far from our own seems necessary from a consistent standpoint.
It may not be the -most- cost-effective, but no reason to just call it a personal interest.
The effective altruism movement and the 80000 hours project in particular seem to be stellar implementations of this line of thinking.
Also seconding the doubts about the refrain from saving puppies—at the very least, extending compassion to other clusters in mindspace not too far from our own seems necessary from a consistent standpoint. It may not be the -most- cost-effective, but no reason to just call it a personal interest.