Exercises

Exercise 1: Assess someone else’s reasoning (15 mins)

Record your answers and bring them to the session.

Using the reasoning transparency criteria from the reading, assess the 80,000 Hours article you just read. Consider:

• Does it state its conclusions clearly upfront?

• Can you follow how the author reached those conclusions?

• Does it indicate confidence levels and acknowledge uncertainty?

• Does it make assumptions explicit? Does it say what would change its mind?

• How easy is it to check the claims yourself?

Rate the article’s reasoning transparency from 1-5 and note:

• One thing it does well

• One thing that could be clearer

• One claim where you’d want more evidence before being convinced

Exercise 2: Unpack your own reasoning (20 mins)

Now turn the lens on yourself.

Think of a cause or charity you currently support, or would support if you had resources to give. This could be anything — a local food bank, a climate organisation, an animal welfare charity, medical research, whatever.

You’ll share your responses in the discussion, so write with the expectation that others will engage with your thinking. This isn’t about having the “right” answer — it’s about making your reasoning visible so others can help you improve it.

Step 1: State your conclusion (2 mins)

Write 1-2 sentences: “I think [cause/charity] is a good place to direct resources because [core reason].”

Step 2: Trace your reasoning (8 mins)

• How did you first learn about this cause or charity?

• What experiences, conversations, or information shaped your view?

• What do you actually know about how effective it is? (Be honest — “not much” is a valid answer.)

• How confident are you that this is a good use of resources? Give a rough percentage, or use language like “fairly confident” vs “quite uncertain.”

Step 3: Identify your assumptions (5 mins)

What would need to be true for your reasoning to hold? For example:

• “I’m assuming the charity uses donations efficiently”

• “I’m assuming this problem is important relative to others”

• “I’m assuming my friend who recommended it did their research”

What information, if you learned it, would change your mind?

Step 4: Reflect (5 mins)

Read back what you’ve written. Was it harder than expected to articulate your reasoning? Did you discover any gaps or uncertainties you hadn’t noticed before?

Note anything you’d like to discuss with the group.