Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and a Radical New Way to Make a Difference

by William MacAskill

Imagine saving a single person’s life: you pass a burning building, kick the door down, rush through the smoke and flames and drag a young child to safety. If you did that, it would stay with you for the rest of your life. If you saved several people’s lives – running into a burning building one week, rescuing someone from drowning the next week, and diving in front of a bullet the week after – you’d think your life was really special. You’d be in the news. You’d be a hero. But we can do far more than that. According to the most rigorous estimates, the cost to save a life in the developing world is about $3,400 (or $100 for one QALY). $3,400 is a small enough amount that most of us in affluent countries could donate that amount every year while maintaining about the same quality of life. Rather than just saving one life, we could save a life every working year of our lives. Donating to charity is not nearly as glamorous as kicking down the door of a burning building, but the benefits are just as great.