Free Downloads 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.
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Avery; Reprint edition (August 2, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592409660
ISBN-13: 978-1592409662
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #23,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Books > Business & Money > Job Hunting & Careers > Volunteer Work #17 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Philanthropy & Charity #106 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality
A chapter or two into this book, I was already thinking about people I could recommend it to. To begin with, he discusses an exciting idea for pumping water from the ground in developing countries – the PlayPump – a kind of roundabout that kids could play on and pump water at the same time. It didn’t work out in the end and MacAskill uses it as an illustration for his central premise: that we need to evaluate ideas, conduct studies, and examine data before we donate huge amounts of money to any cause. In other words, that we need to be better at quantifying the benefit of money that we donate to charities (or any time or money that we use to do good). Then he introduces some stats on income – if you earn more than $28,000, the typical income in the US, you’re in the richest 5% of the world’s population, and $52,000 puts you in the 1% globally. Since 20% of the world’s population earn less than $550 per year ($1.50 per day), a small portion of your income would make a much bigger impact in their lives than it would in your own.That only covers the intro and the first chapter, and I feel that the book was interesting for a while after that but then went steadily downhill. MacAskill is an associate professor of philosophy at Oxford University, but I was surprised that most of his book is based on economics, and it’s strange that it lacks both the wider and deeper perspective that I would have expected based on his chosen field. But then, he got his PhD barely three years ago. In short, he attempts to reduce everything to a number – how much difference do you make by donating to one charity versus another. I’m a scientist – I believe in objective evaluation of data to reach a conclusion. But MacAskill’s book has several problems. Maybe it’s better if I go through them as a list.
It will probably come as no surprise to many readers of this review that The Charities Aid Foundation lists the United States as the most charitable nation in the world. We are now and have been a generous people both with our time and treasure.My guess is that many people reading this review are charitable people who want to know if their hard earned money is well spent when they give it to their favorite charity. In his new book, William MacAskill, cofounder of the Effective Altruism Movement, gives us a thoughtful method for determining what charities will make best use of our contributions and make a genuine difference for good in the lives of desperate and destitute people.In Part One of his book he answers these questions:1. How many people benefit, and by how much?2. Is this the most effective thing you can do?3. Is this area neglected?4. What would have happened otherwise?5. What are the chances of success, and how good would success be?In order to accurately answer these questions, economists have developed a metric called the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Time and again MacAskill will use this metric to highlight effective and ineffective organizations. Toward the end of his book he gives us a list of those charities that pass the QALY muster such as GiveDirectly, Deworm the World International, Against Malaria Foundation, etc.Part Two of MacAskill's book shows us Effective Altruism in Action. From beginning to end he tells us interesting stories about people who make a difference for good. He makes the point repeatedly that even small contributions that are well placed can significantly impact the quality of life of poor and sick people.
Doing Good Better easily earns 5 stars. It has the potential to do much good itself, in helping others choose effective charities and in making related choices, plus it is an interesting and enjoyable read.MacAskill takes us through the process of analyzing our altruistic based choices, from selecting which charities to support, to career choices, and more. First, he explains why the outlook he takes (that the good that a charity actually provides) is more important than the commonly used factor of “how much of the donated money does this charity use for purposes other than overhead and fund-raising”. Though the proportion of money used for actual charity work may seem important, if that work actually ends up providing little or no actual benefit to someone, then it is money wasted.CH 1 - You Are the 1 Percent: Just how much can you achieve? – This chapter offers an eye opening look at world income inequality. Some shocking facts, “If you earn more than $52,000 per year, then, speaking globally, you are the 1 percent… Even someone living below the US poverty line, earning just $11,000 per year, is still richer than 85 percent of people in the world.” Because of this, donations to charities working on social issues in Third World areas have the potential to do much more good per dollar. MacAskill calls this effect the 100x Multiplier. Because of the disparity between what $1 can buy in this country, and what it can buy in the Third World, that dollar can provide much more benefit overseas. Lest you think that the problem is so great and your dollar is so small, that you need not bother, MacAskill points out, it’s not the size of the bucket that matters, it’s the size of the drop you are putting in the bucket. That drop actually matters to real people in need.
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 Make a Difference Watch Your Back!: How the Back Pain Industry Is Costing Us More and Giving Us Less_and What You Can Do to Inform and Empower Yourself in Seeking ... Culture and Politics of Health Care Work) Doing Good Better: How to be an Effective Board Member of a Nonprofit Organization Ways to Help After a Natural Disaster (How to Help: A Guide to Giving Back) The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don't Have with People You Don't Like Doing Things You Don't Want to Do Doing Good Without Giving Up: Sustaining Social Action in a World That's Hard to Change Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson | Book Summary Includes Analysis Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success Simply Better: Doing What Matters Most to Change the Odds for Student Success Health Smarts: How to Eat Right, Stay Fit, Make Positive Choices, and More (USA Today Teen Wise Guides: Lifestyle Choices) Red Sox Fans Are from Mars, Yankees Fans Are from Uranus: Why Red Sox Fans Are Smarter, Funnier, and Better Looking (In Language Even Yankee Fans Can Understand) The Game Believes in You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter Pro-Sumer Power II ! How to Create Wealth by Being Smarter, Not Cheaper, and Referring Others to Do the Same Effective Perl Programming: Ways to Write Better, More Idiomatic Perl (2nd Edition) (Effective Software Development Series) Effective Ruby: 48 Specific Ways to Write Better Ruby (Effective Software Development Series) Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (Effective Software Development Series) People Styles at Work...And Beyond: Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better Amalgam Illness, Diagnosis and Treatment : What You Can Do to Get Better, How Your Doctor Can Help
