Peter Singer, often described as the world's most influential living philosopher, presents a challenging new movement in the search for an ethical life, one that has emerged from his own work on some of the world's most pressing problems.
Effective altruism involves doing the most good possible. It requires a rigorously unsentimental view of charitable giving, urging that a substantial proportion of our money or time, should be donated to the organisations that will do the most good with those resources, rather than to those that tug the heartstrings.
Singer introduces us to an array of remarkable people who are restructuring their lives in accordance with these ideas, and shows how, paradoxically, effective altruism often leads to greater personal fulfilment.
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One unexpected benefit of the rise of the internet is that it has made it possible to analyse the effectiveness of charity donations: removing emotion from the equation one can now see where dollars go furthest and which organisations are most efficient.
In this new slim and highly accessible volume of essays, Singer, commonly referred to as the world's most influential philosopher, analyses the data around patterns and motives for giving, and urges readers to be more rational about their generosity. The examples are riveting and surprising.
Research shows we give more generously when we know a child's face and name, but we have difficulty giving when a disaster involves faceless thousands. Animals with round eyes get more money than those that don't have round eyes.
Always one to push moral decisions to extremes to illustrate his point, Singer, who tithes ten per cent of his salary and has got 17,000 people so far to sign up to do the same, asks why more of us do not donate a kidney, when we have one to spare?
He argues persuasively as to why it is more important to donate money to address third world poverty than first world poverty and presents a list of charities he recommends and endorses.
About the Author
Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University, and Laureate Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Life You Can Save. Singer was born in Australia. He divides his time between New York City and Melbourne.
Industry Reviews
`Peter Singer's status as a man of principles and towering intellect-a philosopher extraordinaire, if you will-is unrivalled in Australia.' * Sydney Morning Herald *
`Peter Singer is a public intellectual par excellence.' * Monthly *
'Peter Singer may be the most controversial philosopher alive; he is certainly among the most influential.' * New Yorker *
'Forty years on from Animal Liberation, Peter Singer is still challenging our complacency with his advocacy for new ideas and movements...In clear prose, Singer weaves effective altruism into a timely and convincing ideology.' * Books & Publishing *
`Singer makes a strong case for a simple idea-that each of us has a tremendous opportunity to help others with our abilities, time and money. The Most Good You Can Do is an optimistic and compelling look at the positive impact that giving can have on the world.' * Bill and Melinda Gates *
`The Most Good You Can Do is an important book. Reading it may change your life and save someone else's.' * Australian Book Review *
`The Most Good You Can Do is an optimistic and persuasive look at the positive impact that giving can have on the world.' * Newtown Review of Books *
