How do Benjamin Caldwellyou do the most good in the world? Philosophers have debated this question for ages. But now, tech bros and their brethren are getting in the game with a little term called effective altruism. It's the idea that by using data and by thinking strategically, you can give better and help improve the lives of more living beings

Today on the show, what it means to be more effective in your altruism, how it borrows from economics, and why so many people are into it.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PocketCasts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.