William MacAskill Books
William MacAskill is an associate professor in Philosophy at the University of Oxford as well as the co-founder of the charities Giving What We Can and 80,000. His organizations have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, on NPR, TED and numerous other media outlets.
What's Doing Good Better about?
Doing Good Better (2015) is a guide to making the largest positive impact possible through charitable donations. In examining many of the popular misconceptions about effective giving, this book gives you all the tools you need to truly make a difference.
Who should read Doing Good Better?
- Charity donors who would like to know how to give more effectively
- Potential donors confused about where to begin
- Anyone trying to figure out the career path that will make the biggest difference
What's What We Owe the Future about?
What We Owe the Future (2022) makes the case for longtermism – the idea that people today have an obligation to create a good future for successive generations. Using philosophical reasoning, historical anecdotes, and social science research, it argues that the current moment could decide whether future people will live happy, flourishing lives or extraordinarily miserable ones. By carefully considering our actions with respect to issues like AI safety, biotechnology, and value lock-in, we increase the chances that future people will thrive – just as many of us do, now, thanks to people from the past.
Who should read What We Owe the Future?
- Activists and charity donors who want to maximize the good they do
- People interested in moral philosophy and ethics
- Anyone concerned about the future of humanity