This post lists some general resources ⬇️ that might be useful for learning about effective altruism, and some EA-Forum-specific resources ⬇️, like the weekly digest and the guide to the Forum. 

If we should change something in this post, or add something new, please let us know. You can see an older version of this post here. 

New to effective altruism?

Learn about effective altruism

A lot of posts on the Forum might be confusing if you’re not very familiar with effective altruism (“EA”). If you’ve just begun to learn about EA, try these resources:

• For a quick intro: effectivealtruism.org can act as a quick introduction, and links to a number of other resources.
• If you’d like to cover all of the basics: The EA Handbook covers a range of core concepts in effective altruism.
• You can also take an online course on EA: The Introductory EA Program allows you to go through core EA ideas and readings with a small group of people. (You can find more virtual programs here.)

Connect with other people interested in effective altruism

You can connect with people by engaging on the Forum, exploring local and virtual groups, or going to events. 

New to the Forum?

Explore & find things to read

• Sign up for the Forum Digest, which shares some of the Forum team's favorite posts each week.
• Read prize-winning posts and our Library of sequences of related posts. 
• Explore posts on different topics, like biosecurity, farmed animal welfare, moral philosophy, and cause prioritization.
• Sort all posts by different criteria, or just go to the Frontpage to see recent posts (which stay up for longer if they get more upvotes). 

Start engaging actively

You'll first need an account. Once you have that...

• Introduce yourself
  • People use our monthly “open threads” to introduce themselves and talk about what they’ve been doing. This is a great way to make your first comment!
  • We also recommend writing a bio.
• Comment & upvote
  • Read posts, and provide feedback to the authors. Positive feedback can be especially valuable! 
• Join online and local groups
  • Explore local and virtual groups, or go to events to connect with people who share your interests. 
• Write a post or share a question
  • If you have a specific question about EA, you should post it on the Forum: go to this page and click “New Question”. (You'll need to create an account or log in first.)
  • Write a post and share your thoughts. 

To understand Forum norms and explore more of the Forum, you can also go through the "How to use the Forum" sequence, which starts with:

1. 🖋️  Write on the EA Forum
2. 🦋  Guide to norms on the Forum
3. 🛠️  Forum user manual

Advice on writing?

You can find some here. 

Want us to add something to this page?

Just leave a comment, and we’ll consider your idea. Thanks for helping out!