Temperance and prudence as virtues of an effective altruist

The aim of the paper is to analyze the importance of two virtues: temperance and prudence for genesis of the Effective Altruism and practice of life of effective altruists, on the basis of philosophical works of two main representatives of the idea and movement: Peter Singer and William MacAskill. In the first part of the paper genesis of the movement and its basic assumptions are presented. Then, the paper focuses on the role of temperance and prudence in both theoretical refl ection on effective altruism and practice of life of people identifying themselves with the movement, with reference to Aristotle’s understanding of the virtues. It is argued, that these virtues are crucial in the practice of life of an effective altruist. In the last part the paper focuses on the idea that Effective Altruism is in a sense an alternative to consumerism and can play a role in bringing mentioned virtues back into public life.