[sincerity mode]So… is that a good thing, or a bad thing?[/sincerity mode]
In many circumstances, sacrificing one’s own life in order to save others is considered a good thing, and people who do it are called “heroes”. A famous example is the story of railroad engineer Casey Jones, who, after realizing that a collision with a stalled train was inevitable, chose to remain in the engine and slow his own train as much as possible, saving the rest of the passengers and crew at the cost of his own life.
“Really Extreme Altruism” (with the money going to one of GiveWell’s top charities) isn’t as dramatic as a “typical” real-life Heroic Sacrifice, but the outcome is the same: one person dies, a lot of other people live who would have otherwise died. It’s the manner of the sacrifice (and the distributed, distant nature of the benefit) that makes it far more disturbing.
[sincerity mode]So… is that a good thing, or a bad thing?[/sincerity mode]
In many circumstances, sacrificing one’s own life in order to save others is considered a good thing, and people who do it are called “heroes”. A famous example is the story of railroad engineer Casey Jones, who, after realizing that a collision with a stalled train was inevitable, chose to remain in the engine and slow his own train as much as possible, saving the rest of the passengers and crew at the cost of his own life.
“Really Extreme Altruism” (with the money going to one of GiveWell’s top charities) isn’t as dramatic as a “typical” real-life Heroic Sacrifice, but the outcome is the same: one person dies, a lot of other people live who would have otherwise died. It’s the manner of the sacrifice (and the distributed, distant nature of the benefit) that makes it far more disturbing.