William MacAskill

Will MacAskill, an associate professor at the University of Oxford and co-founder of Effective Altruism, dives into impactful topics. He explores existential risks and the importance of human cooperation in addressing societal challenges. The conversation touches on coping strategies for stress and low moods, as well as the ethical implications of AI advancements. MacAskill discusses navigating health choices and the philosophy of longtermism, encouraging listeners to become proactive agents of change for a better future.

Will MacAskill, an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Oxford and co-founder of Effective Altruism, discusses how to create a positive impact on future generations. He reveals the philosophy behind longtermism and why it's crucial to consider our moral obligations today. The conversation highlights the transformative power of effective altruism, the importance of strategic philanthropy, and the urgent existential risks we face, like climate change and nuclear threats. MacAskill also shares insights on career choices and the emotional rewards of altruistic giving.

In this discussion, William MacAskill, an Oxford philosophy professor and a key figure in the Effective Altruism movement, delves into the fallout from the FTX collapse and its ethical implications for the community. They explore the complexities of 'earning to give' and the motivations behind Sam Bankman-Fried's actions. MacAskill reflects on how this scandal impacts personal beliefs and highlights the need for resilience within the movement. The conversation also questions the balance between ambition and ethical integrity in philanthropy and corporate behavior.

Will MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at Oxford and a co-founder of several effective altruism nonprofits. He delves into the FTX scandal, dissecting its implications for the effective altruism movement. Topics include the psychological traits of Sam Bankman-Fried, the dangers of naive utilitarianism, and the need for improved governance in philanthropy. MacAskill also reflects on trust issues within the movement and the complexities of moral decision-making, advocating for a shift towards decentralization and ethical oversight, especially in light of rapid AI advancements.

Will MacAskill, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Oxford and a leader in effective altruism, dives into creating impactful change. He discusses his upcoming book, focusing on how to extend compassion globally and confront apathy. The conversation challenges the quest for posthumous fame, urging listeners to prioritize legacy through moral progress. MacAskill emphasizes the balance between altruism and career choices, the importance of fighting climate change, and our stewardship responsibilities for future generations.

Join Will MacAskill, an Oxford philosopher and effective altruism pioneer, as he unpacks how our choices today impact future generations. He navigates the challenges of moral decision-making in a long-term context and explores the ethical dilemmas of wealth disparity and charitable giving. MacAskill also highlights the importance of personal sacrifice for the greater good and the existential threats we face. Through thought-provoking insights, he champions a philosophy that aims for maximizing global well-being across time.

William MacAskill, a Scottish philosopher and author of "What We Owe the Future," joins James W. Lenman, a Professor of Philosophy and ethical theory critic, to delves deep into effective altruism and longtermism. They discuss whether we should sacrifice present well-being for a better future and examine the ethical implications of prioritizing future generations over current crises. The conversation challenges traditional views on job satisfaction, emphasizing social impact and the complexities of moral responsibility towards both people and nature.

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I’m happy to have William MacAskill. William is the co-founder and President of the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) and an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Oxford University. He is also the founder and president of 80,000 Hours, the co-founder and vice-president of Giving What We Can, and the author of Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference. William’s work is primarily focused on encouraging people to use reason and evidence to find the best possible ways they can use their resources to make the biggest possible impact in the world. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, including: Why good intentions aren’t enough when giving to charity and how we can do better How William's giving philosophy was formed and how it developed into The Centre for Effective Altruism The best metrics to assess how good a charity is before donating a dime How letting our emotions guide our charitable giving can lead to ineffective, and sometimes harmful outcomes. How many charities today unknowingly reward low dollar donors and sell themselves short millions of dollars in potential donations A powerful thought exercise to help you gain a different but valuable perspective about helping the poor and suffering in the world The one cognitive bias William believes is the most damaging to any business, organization or individual William’s foundational values that guide his day to day decisions and actions William’s take on “radical honesty” and when honesty can be taken too far and is no longer constructive William’s definition of success and the imaginary conversation he has with himself on his deathbed to make sure he’s on the right track (this is awesome) The most common mistake William sees people make over and over (and the embarrassingly simple way to avoid making it) And then to wrap up, I gave him a softball question: What is the purpose and meaning of life? If you’ve wanted to make more of a positive impact in the world around you, this insightful interview will give you plenty to think about. Your resources are precious and should be optimized to improve the lives of those you help. I don’t know of a better person to guide you than William. *** Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William MacAskill, a prominent philosopher and author of "What We Owe the Future," dives into the philosophy of longtermism, urging us to consider our impact on future generations. He addresses the ethics of our actions today and challenges the prioritization of immediate benefits over the long-term well-being of humanity. MacAskill also explores the limitations of democracy in planning for the future and emphasizes the moral imperatives of effective altruism in making responsible choices that benefit society and the generations to come.

Most of us want to do good.We devote our precious time to causes we deem worthy. We donate our precious funds to charities that appear to make a difference. We pursue careers we consider meaningful, and patronize businesses and buy products we believe make the world a better place.Unfortunately, we often base these decisions on assumptions and emotions rather than facts. As a result, even our best intentions often lead to ineffective—and sometimes downright harmful—outcomes.So how can we do better?In an effort to determine a career personally optimized for maximum positive impact, Professor William MacAskill began to ask himself this very question. While a young researcher at Oxford, he discovered that much of the potential for change was being squandered by lack of information, bad data, and our own prejudice. As an antidote, he and his colleagues developed a modality of thought that would later birth the movement known today as effective altruism: a practical, data-driven approach to “doing good” that proffers the best options to make a tremendous positive difference.In other words, “doing good” (or a well-intentioned act aimed at doing good) is not enough.We must do good better.William is a 28-year old Scottish born scholar and author who is associate professor of Philosophy at Lincoln College Oxford. Previous to this chair, William was a research fellow in philosophy from Emanuel College at Cambridge and a Fullbright scholar at Princeton.If all of this still fails to impress, while still in his twenties (because after all he is still in his twenties), William co-founded 2 successful non-profits, which combined have raised over $400 million in lifetime pledged donations to charity and helped to spark the effective altruism movement:* 80000hours.org is an extremely cool and impressive ethical careers advisory service – sort of like an altruistic AI online career counselor — which provides research and advice on how you can best make a difference through your professional life.* Giving What We Can encourages people to commit to give at least 10% of their income to the most effective charities.Walking his talk, William has officially pledged to donate any and all earned income in excess of $35K USD to such effective charities. This makes for a very interesting line of questioning during today's conversation.William shares his ideas — some of which are controversial and at times iconoclastic — as a contributor to The Atlantic and in several prominent international publications (see below show notes) and he and his organizations have been featured in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and TED, among other media outlets.Although William lives in Oxford, I was able to sit down with him in Silicon Valley a few weeks ago as his noon-profit 80000hours.org was one of the very first non-profits ever invited to participate in the highly prestigious accelerator program hosted by prominent seed venture fund Y Combinator. For context, this is the fund and program that launched companies like Dropbox, AirBnB, and Reddit among many others.William recently released his first book, Doing Good Better:...