Book review: Doing Good Better

THE ice bucket challenge, no make-up selfies and Movember are some of the many popular social media campaigns that reveal just how much we like to give our support to a good cause. But are we helping effectively?

This is the question posed by Scottish philosopher William MacAskill.

He argues that we can – and should – apply critical thinking to decide which charity our money goes to or what we can do to help so it has the most impact, a movement he calls effective altruism. It is the premise of his ground-breaking book Doing Good Better.

It’s very difficult to disagree with him here. Offering a brilliant, smart and refreshing take on the best way to make a difference in the world, MacAskill’s wonderfully-written vision will strike a chord with anyone who has ever wanted to help a cause.

This will no doubt be an essential guide for those wanting to make a meaningful contribution to the world.

* William MacAskill, Guardian Faber Publishing €22.50 ebook £6.59