William MacAskill

How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back

Doing Good Better

The cofounder of the Effective Altruism movement presents a counterintuitive approach anyone can use to make a difference in the world. While studying philosophy at Oxford University and trying to work out how he could have the greatest impact, William MacAskill discovered that most of the time and money aimed at making the world a better place achieves little. Why? Because individuals rarely have enough information to make the best choices. Confronting this problem head-on, MacAskill developed the concept of effective altruism, a scientific, data-driven approach to making a difference that operates by asking these five questions: How much will this action improve others' lives? Is this the most effective action I can take? How useful is my contribution, given what others are already doing? What will happen if I don't do it? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? Applying these principles, he demonstrates that many of our assumptions about doing good are misguided: he argues that one can potentially save more lives by working on Wall Street than as a heart surgeon, that cancer charities are not the best use of money, and that buying sweatshop-produced goods is a form of ethical consumption. MacAskill challenges us to think differently but argues that if we set aside our biases and rely on evidence and careful reasoning, each of us can make a tremendous difference.

How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference

Sodium

Timeo Williams

This book accomplished exactly what the titoe bluntly hints at: doing effective altruism. By applying statistics and common sense, Will shows us the way to finding out which causes would do the most net good and which organizations would do those tasks the best.

rumbledethumps

MacAskill aims for something big in this book: convincing people to consider his logical argument when they are making emotional decisions.

*Doing Good Better* is a manifesto of sorts, aimed at launching the idea of Effective Altruism. He defines the term as "asking, 'How can I make the biggest difference I can?' and using evidence and careful reasoning to try to find an answer." (p 11)

The first half of the book is dedicated to exploring five key questions: How many people benefit, and by how much? Is this the most effective thing you can do? Is this area neglected? What would happen otherwise? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? The second half of the book is about using these questions in specific ways to figure out which organizations one should contribute to, how one should live, and what types of career options one should pursue.

His argument is very convincing, and he makes a compelling point. He might even have convinced me to rethink where I send my charitable donations. But, though he has a solid grasp of classic economics, he gives very little consideration to behavioral economics. He acknowledges that people want to give themselves to organizations that are dear to them. "If a family member died of cancer, isn't it natural to want to direct your energies to fighting cancer?" (pp 40-41) But, he argues, we shouldn't. Instead, "we should focus that motivation on preventing death and improving lives, rather than preventing death and improving lives in one very specific way. Any other decision would be unfair to those whom we could have helped more." (p 42)

In the second half of the book he argues that being a high-paid stockbroker could actually be more effective at saving lives than being a foreign aid worker, in that having more disposable income and donating large amounts of money to the right organizations (several of which he lists) does more for the world than any individual working in the trenches.

He might be right. but there's a larger problem: Most people feel better about themselves by being face to face with the people they are helping than by writing a check and mailing it off. Most people feel more strongly about problems that affect them directly than about abstract concepts on the other side of the world. 

MacAskill acknowledges this problem, but basically believes we should just over-ride these impulses and logically evaluate all of our options. As Benjamin Franklin wrote, "If you would persuade you must appeal to interest rather than intellect."

]Until he can figure out a way to appeal to our interest (emotional or otherwise) instead of just our intellect, MacAskill might have trouble getting Effective Altruism accepted by most of the world.

Rohini Anandamurugan

Strongly recommend this book (and The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty) for anyone interested in any form of giving.

If Singer's book makes a case for why it's inexcusable for any of us to not be charitable, MacAskill's book builds on it by showing us a framework and alternative options by which we can think of being the "most" charitable (either via donating money or via your career choices). 

I've been struggling with many of the problems listed in this book for quite a long time. I had a couple of theories with which I navigated this path so far, but this book solidifies (and in other areas, corrects) many of these with rational arguments, drawing from economics and basic math. It's a brilliant book and I'm sure I'll keep returning to this frequently. Highly recommend this!

Ben Jenkins

While I definitely did take away some very useful and interesting information, this book was too long, meandering, and repetitive. It could easily have been half the length it was and entire chapters (like the one about choosing a career) could have been entirely cut. 

Also, I was annoyed the entire time I was reading it because the author modelled his book after clickbait, teasing the final list of top causes at the end. 

The info is good, but the presentation of it could have been more succinct for sure.

Almost all of us want to make a difference. So we volunteer, donate to charity, recycle or try to cut down our carbon emissions. But rarely do we know how much of a difference we're really making. In a remarkable re-examination of the evidence, Doing Good Better reveals why buying sweatshop-produced goods benefits the poor; why cosmetic surgeons can do more good than charity workers; and why giving to a relief fund is generally not the best way to help after a natural disaster. By examining the charities you give to, the volunteering you do, the goods you buy and the career you pursue, this fascinating and often surprising guide shows how through simple actions you can improve thousands of lives - including your own.

Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference

Maryam 

Sophie Shrimpton

A great, evidence-based guide to living an altruistic life. As a morally anxious person who loves effective action this is soothing and enlightening. I plan to assimilate as much as possible in my life.

Doing Good Better How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back

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