> But I don't have any reason to trust them

My favorite aspect of EA is the transparency. Givewell and open phil publish white papers that go into excruciating detail about how they reached their conclusions. You don't have to trust them. Read what they publish and make your own conclusions about how to do good most effectively.

I've also enjoyed the writing of Julia Galef, especially The Scout Mindset, which many in the EA community have embraced as solutions to not only the "too smart for your own good" problem but general divisiveness/tribalism in society.