Join a book club that is reading Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back!
Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back
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.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Life-changing! Making my kids read this one.
Viktor Zhdanov!
A little too much focus on the cost-efficiency of particular charities and insufficient attention to the importance of the particular change being made in the world, but forgivable in an otherwise stellar book.
Viktor Zhdanov!
A little too much focus on the cost-efficiency of particular charities and insufficient attention to the importance of the particular change being made in the world, but forgivable in an otherwise stellar book.
William MacAskill has put together a brilliant piece of thought leadership. He asks us to make tough decisions in the pursuit of better outcomes. The challenge is to learn to give back using the head and not the heart as a guide. For many, this is a counterintuitive approach to maximizing the effect of every dollar we give, or hour we spend, or how we design policy and advocacy campaigns.
MacAskill’s arguments are data driven and analytical. He dispels a lot of preconceptions about charitable giving and the subsequent impacts. But the content goes far beyond charitable giving. MacAskill provides us multiple frameworks that culminate into how to live a life that allows us to have maximum impact. An outcome that brought to mind Maslow’s Hierarchy and achieving the state of full self-actualization.
“Doing Good Better” is built off of concepts derived from the intersection of Moral Philosophy and Economics. For me, strategies that come from the crossroads of where the humanities and sciences meet will always lead to more balanced and pragmatic solutions in the long run. If for no other reason, these cross pollination scenarios push us to think objectively asking better questions. Hopefully, getting us closer to solving root causes.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.