Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference
Author: William MacAskill
Publisher: Guardian Faber Publishing
Print Length: 336 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction / Popular Science
Topic: Effective Altruism, Altruism, Ethics & Morality, Accountability, Charity, Philanthropy, Finance, Giving, Sharing, Sacrifice, Non-Profit Organization (NGO), Organization, Social Impact, Lifestyle, Social Movement
A radical reassessment of how we can most effectively help others by a rising star of philosophy and leading social entrepreneur.
Most of us want to make a difference. We donate to charity, buy Fairtrade coffee, or try to cut down on our carbon emissions. Rarely do we know if we’re really helping, and despite our best intentions, our actions can have ineffective ― and sometimes downright harmful ― outcomes. Confronting this problem, William MacAskill developed the concept of effective altruism, a practical, data-driven approach which shows that each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good, given the right information. His conclusions are often surprising; by examining the charities we give to, the goods we buy and the careers we pursue, Doing Good Better is a fascinating and original guide which shows how, through simple actions, you can improve thousands of lives ― including your own.
‘Effective altruism ― efforts that actually help people rather than making you feel good or helping you show off ― is one of the great new ideas of the 21st century. Doing Good Better is the definitive guide to this exciting new movement.’
STEVEN PINKER, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction: Worms and Water Pumps – How can you do the most good?
1. You are the 1%: Just how much can you achieve?
PART I. The Five Key Questions of Effective Altruism
2. Hard Trade-offs – Key question 1: How many people benefit, and by how much?
3. How You Can Save Hundreds of Lives – Key question 2: Is this the most effective thing you cando?
4. Why You Shouldn’t Donate to Disaster Relief – Key question 3: Is this area neglected?
5. The Best Person Who Ever Lived is an Unknown Ukrainian Man – Key question 4: What would have happened otherwise?
6. Why Voting Is Like Donating Thousands of Dollars to Charity – Key question 5: What are the chances of success, and how good would success be?
PART II. Effective Altruism in Action
7. Overheard Costs, CEO Pay and Other Confusions – Which charities make the most difference?
8. The Moral Case for Sweatshop Goods – How can consumers make the most difference?
9. Don’t ‘Follow Your Passion’ – Which careers can make the most difference?
10. Poverty vs Climate Change vs … – Which cause should you focus on?
Conclusion: Becoming an Effective Altruist – What should you do right now?
Appendix: Summary – Thinking like an effective altruist
Acknowledgements
Notes
Selected sources and resources
Index
William MacAskill is an Associate Professor in Philosophy and Research Fellow at the Global Priorities Institute, Oxford and notable figure within the effective altruism movement. MacAskill is the co-founder and president of 80,000 Hours, the co-founder of The Centre for Effective Altruism, the co-founder of Giving What We Can, and the author of Doing Good Better. Will’s research focuses on two topics. First, on how one ought to make decisions under normative uncertainty: for instance, uncertainty about the relative value of current and future people. Second, effective altruism, the subject of his book Doing Good Better. Will has published in Ethics, Mind, and The Journal of Philosophy, as well as The Guardian, Time, and the The New Yorker.
Source: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/people/will-macaskill
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