How to save a stranger's life

Future Perfect

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, Society & Culture, Philosophy, Tech News, News

4.5 • 622 Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2018

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2016, Dylan Matthews donated his kidney to a complete stranger. He didn’t think he was doing anything really extreme or remarkable. He was just trying to do the most good he could. Dylan was taking part in a movement called effective altruism, a community that tries to maximize the good you do. In our first episode, we’ll explore the idea of effective altruism, why making our charities more effective matters, and what giving a bodily organ looks like in practice. ––– Further reading: More on Dylan’s kidney donation Peter Singer’s case against the Make a Wish Foundation More of Vox’s effective altruism coverage ––– Discover more podcasts from Vox here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Whether you're off to the big match, get in!
0:04.0	Enjoying a trip to the coast to catch up with friends.
0:09.0	Or exploring some incredible history with your family.
0:14.0	Oh, what is it?
0:17.0	With up to a third off-most rail travel, a rail card can help you save on train journeys all around Great Britain.
0:25.0	Find the one for you at railcard.co.uk.
0:29.2	Deasanceys apply.
0:30.5	So this is a letter I got today from Hopkins.
0:35.1	Dear Dylan, you have been approved as a kidney donor by our multidisciplinary transplant team
0:40.4	at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
0:42.8	Please notify us if you have a serious illness.
0:45.1	Hi, I'm Dylan Matthews.
0:46.9	I host this podcast, and two years ago, I gave my kidney away to a complete stranger.
0:51.8	I matched with someone.
0:53.7	There's someone who could use my kidney, and so that's exciting.
0:58.0	So I did it.
1:02.0	The surgery was fine, and the recovery was pretty quick.
1:05.0	But I gave away a major organ, and a fair question to ask is why.
1:13.2	It all connects back to this movement, a movement that's only really existed for a couple
1:17.2	of years, but it's been growing and spreading all across the world.
1:21.9	It's called Effective Altruism.
1:27.0	In its simplest form, Effective Altruism says, hey, we should be trying to do good in the best
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.