Doing Good Better

Doing Good Better examines how to maximize the positive impact of charitable giving and social change efforts through data-driven analysis. The book introduces the effective altruism movement, which applies evidence and reason to determine the most efficient ways to improve the world. MacAskill presents frameworks for evaluating charities and career choices based on their potential to create measurable benefits for others. He challenges common assumptions about philanthropy and demonstrates how careful analysis can multiply the effects of altruistic actions. The text covers key concepts like expected value, counterfactuals, and scale when assessing different approaches to doing good. Through real-world examples and case studies, MacAskill shows how these principles can be applied to individual decision-making about donations and career paths. This work represents an important contribution to the emerging field of scientific philanthropy, suggesting that emotion and good intentions alone are insufficient for creating meaningful change. It raises fundamental questions about responsibility and effectiveness in addressing global challenges.

Readers value the book's data-driven approach to charitable giving and concrete framework for evaluating impact. Many highlight its clear explanations of cost-effectiveness and practical advice for career choices that maximize social good. Likes: - Makes complex philanthropic concepts accessible - Provides actionable steps and real examples - Challenges common assumptions about charity effectiveness - Strong research backing key points Dislikes: - Some find the utilitarian philosophy overly rigid - Critics say it understates the importance of local/community-based giving - Several readers note redundancy in later chapters - Some argue the career advice is too focused on earning-to-give Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (8,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (580+ ratings) Notable reader comment: "Changed how I think about charitable giving, but the constant focus on quantifying impact feels cold and misses some human elements of philanthropy." - Goodreads reviewer

The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer A philosophical examination of moral obligations to help others that provides specific recommendations for addressing global poverty through effective giving.

Poor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee Presents evidence-based solutions to global poverty through randomized control trials and field experiments that test which interventions create measurable impact.

The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer Explores the effective altruism movement through case studies of people who restructured their lives to maximize their positive impact on the world.

80,000 Hours by Benjamin Todd Outlines a systematic framework for career selection based on potential for social impact using research and data from the effective altruism community.

The Power of Experiments by Michael Luca and Max Bazerman Demonstrates how randomized experiments and behavioral science can improve decision-making in business, policy, and social programs.

🔹 The book's author, William MacAskill, co-founded the effective altruism movement while still a graduate student at Oxford University at age 28. 🔹 The principles outlined in "Doing Good Better" influenced billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried to pursue "earning to give" - though this connection later became controversial following FTX's collapse. 🔹 MacAskill helped establish GiveWell, a nonprofit evaluator that has directed over $1 billion to highly effective charities since its founding. 🔹 Research cited in the book shows that the average American could save 100 lives over their lifetime by donating 10% of their income to effective charities. 🔹 The term "effective altruism" was coined by MacAskill and philosopher Toby Ord in 2011, drawing inspiration from Peter Singer's work on practical ethics.