Doing Good Better - by William Macaskill (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An up-and-coming visionary in the world of philanthropy and a cofounder of the effective altruism movement explains why most of our ideas about how to make a difference are wrong and presents a counterintuitive way for each of us to do the most good possible.

While a researcher at Oxford, William MacAskill decided to devote his study to a simple question: How can we do good better? MacAskill realized that, while most of us want to make a difference, we often decide how to do so based on assumptions and emotions rather than facts. As a result, our good intentions often lead to ineffective, sometimes downright harmful, outcomes.

As an antidote, MacAskill and his colleagues developed effective altruism--a practical, data-driven approach to doing good that allows us to make a tremendous difference regardless of our resources. Effective altruists operate by asking certain key questions that force them to think differently, set aside biases, and use evidence and careful reasoning rather than act on impulse. In Doing Good Better, MacAskill lays out these principles and shows that, when we use them correctly--when we apply the head and the heart to each of our altruistic endeavors--each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good.

Review Quotes

"Beautifully written and extremely smart. Doing Good Better should be required reading for anyone interested in making the world better."--Steven D. Levitt, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Freakonomics and When to Rob a Bank

"This is the most valuable guide to charitable giving ever published. Even readers who disagree with MacAskill's conclusions about the value of particular charitable donations will make smarter decisions by learning from his analysis."--Paul Brest, co-director, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and former president, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

"A straightforward guide to help anyone make the largest possible difference in the lives of others." --Sue Desmond-Hellman, CEO of the Gates Foundation

"We research hotels and headphones and sushi bars--but not charities. That is lunacy. And in this powerful and persuasive book, William MacAskill shows us how much we stand to gain from a little bit of thoughtfulness: The same donation could do hundreds of times more good if given to the most effective charities, rather than the least"--Dan Heath, co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Made to Stick, Switch, and Decisive

"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 twenty-first century. Doing Good Better is the definitive guide to this exciting new movement."--Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature

"Doing Good Better is a superb achievement. This must-read book will lead people to change their careers, their lives, and the world, for the better."--Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, author of Animal Liberation and The Most Good You Can Do

"Doing Good Better is a must-read for anyone with both a heart and a brain. MacAskill demolishes the lazy myths of nothing-you-can-do-ism and demonstrates the power of asking the right questions. This is an important book. It's also surprisingly fun. Figuring out what really helps people is a challenging scientific puzzle, and these pages are full of unexpected twists--enlightening and invigorating."--Joshua Greene, director of Harvard's Moral Cognition Lab, author of Moral Tribes

"Humanity currently spends more money on cigarette ads than on making sure that we as a species survive this century. We've got our priorities all wrong, and we need effective altruism to right them. If you want to make a real difference on the biggest issues of our time, you need to read Doing Good Better."-- Jaan Tallinn, cofounder, Skype and Kazaa

"Doing Good Better has rare combination of strikingly original ideas, effortless clarity of delivery, and a thoroughgoing practicality that leaves the reader inspired to get out of their chair and take on the world. Humanity faces some big challenges in the 21st century; this is a much-needed manifesto for social change, and Will MacAskill is the ideal ambassador."--Eric Drexler, founder of nanotechnology and author of Engines of Creation

"MacAskill tackles a monumental question: how can we make the biggest difference for the greatest number of people? His answer is a grand vision to make giving, volunteering, spending, and working more worthwhile."--Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take

"Are you interested in giving away money more effectively? This is the very best book on how to do that." --Tyler Cowen, Holbert C. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University and author of Average is Over

"I wish I'd had this structure and insights twenty years ago!"--Caroline Fiennes, Director, Giving Evidence

About the Author

William MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford and the cofounder of the nonprofit organizations Giving What We Can and 80,000 Hours. These nonprofits have raised more than $400 million in lifetime-pledged donations to charity and have helped spark the effective altruism movement. MacAskill is a contributor to Quartz, the online business magazine of The Atlantic, and he and his organizations have been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and on NPR and in a TEDx Talk. He lives in Oxford, England.