Will MacAskill

Date: 2017-03-13 | Duration: 2h 47m

Episode Overview

Will MacAskill, Oxford philosopher and co-founder of the effective altruism movement, joins Joe for a wide-ranging two-and-a-half hour conversation about ethics, existential risk, and how to do the most good with limited resources. MacAskill — whose book 'Doing Good Better' popularized rigorous, evidence-based philanthropy — traces his intellectual journey from being convinced by Peter Singer's arguments in high school to co-founding 80,000 Hours and Giving What We Can. They explore the mind-bending implications of infinite universes and observer selection, discuss how ag-gag laws protect factory farming from public scrutiny, and debate the ethics of emerging technologies. MacAskill also describes the Giving What We Can pledge and how donors can redirect money to the world's most effective charities with zero overhead. The episode previews Jim Norton for the following day.

About Will MacAskill

Will MacAskill is a prominent philosopher and a key figure in the effective altruism movement, dedicated to applying evidence and reason to determine the most effective ways to improve the world. As a tutorial fellow in philosophy at Lincoln College, Oxford, he has made significant contributions to moral philosophy and the ethics of philanthropy. MacAskill is also the co-founder of 80,000 Hours, an organization that provides career advice for those looking to make a positive impact, and the author of the influential book "Doing Good Better," which encourages individuals to consider the broader implications of their charitable efforts. His thoughtful approach to altruism and commitment to using philosophy for practical good make him a compelling voice in contemporary ethical discussions.

Key Moments

– Effective Altruism and Evidence-Based Giving
– Peter Singer and Ethical Obligations to the Poor
– Infinite Universe Observers and Existential Risk
– Ag-Gag Laws and Factory Farming Secrecy
– Emerging Technology Ethics
0:00:00 – Will MacAskill on effective altruism origins
0:15:15 – Convinced by Peter Singer in high school
0:35:32 – Infinite universe and the infinite number of observers
1:18:31 – Space exploration as an exciting global human project
1:53:40 – Ag-gag laws and why the public would be sickened by what's inside
2:44:03 – Giving What We Can — donate to most effective non-profits, 0% overhead

Transcript Excerpt

Starting point is 00:00:00 We gotta figure out a way to make it so we just have a one-button thing. Where everything syncs up with one button. Is that possible one day? Maybe. We're live. Right now we're live? Live, live. Cool. Starting point is 00:00:13 How are you, sir? Yeah, I'm not too bad. Welcome. Thanks for coming, man. Appreciate it. Yeah, no worries. Thanks so much for having me. Sam Harris is gonna be with us, but he flaked out last minute. He's a busy man. Yeah, he's a busy man. So, I'm interested to talk to you about a Starting point is 00:00:26 bunch of things but one of the big ones is this idea of effective altruism and this is something that you really promote to the point where I don't know if this is true but I read this about you that everything that you make over thirty six thousand dollars a year you donate yeah that's right so Wow yeah so everything above technically it's everything above 20,000 pounds from 2009 Oxford. So just for inflation, cost of living changes and stuff. But that's about $36,000. So you've just sort of decided that, which is, by the way, the 1% for the whole world. Starting point is 00:00:59 Yeah, not quite. About 2%. Yeah, I'll be in the top. Still be in the top 2% even despite giving money. I thought it was 34,000. I think 34,000 puts even despite giving the money. I thought it was $34,000. I think $34,000 puts you in the top 1%. I think it's $55,000. Oh, has it changed? Maybe since Trump's been in office. Yeah, that's right. Starting point is 00:01:14 But it's, you know, what you're doing is, if that's really the case, that's a very charitable thing. Yeah. And it's also, I mean, it's most of my income over the course of my life. thing. Yeah. And it's also, I mean, it's most of my income over the course of my life. Like, especially as an academic, you're not going to earn tons though. Um, since effective altruism blew up, you end up getting things like speaking fees and, you know, and I give all that away as well. So it...

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Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #930?

Will MacAskill was the guest on JRE #930. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #930?

On Joe Rogan Experience #930 with Will MacAskill, topics include Effective Altruism and Evidence-Based Giving, Peter Singer and Ethical Obligations to the Poor, Infinite Universe Observers and Existential Risk, and Ag-Gag Laws and Factory Farming Secrecy.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #930?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #930 with Will MacAskill is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.