William MacAskill

Hi - I'm Will MacAskill, a philosopher at the Global Priorities Institute, University of Oxford. My research focuses on moral uncertainty, utilitarianism, the foundations of effective altruism, and the ethics of future generations. I’m currently interested in better understanding existential risks from advanced artificial intelligence, figuring out how to reduce those risks, and working out how society should be governed if we succeed in ensuring that advanced AI is safe.

I’m the author of Doing Good Better (2015) and What We Owe The Future (2022), and co-author of Moral Uncertainty (2020). I’ve also co-authored An Introduction to Utilitarianism, which comes out in print in 2024.

I helped to start the effective altruism movement, which is about trying to use evidence and reason to help others as much as possible with our time and money. I cofounded Giving What We Can (2009), 80,000 Hours (2011), the Centre for Effective Altruism (2012) and the Global Priorities Institute (2017).

To learn more about me and effective altruism, I’d recommend reading this piece by TIME Magazine.

For speaking engagements and press inquiries, please go here.

My new book is out!

WHAT WE OWE THE FUTURE

In What We Owe The Future, I discuss the case for longtermism — the view that we should be doing much more to protect future generations.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Caring About Future People Is Common Sense

I spoke with Trevor Noah about the basics of effective altruism, donating to effective charities with Giving What We Can, whether humans are inherently good, and much more.