William MacAskill (born William David Crouch, 24 March 1987) is a Scottish moral philosopher best known for co-founding the effective altruism (EA) movement and for popularizing the philosophy of longtermism. He has co-founded several influential organizations in the EA ecosystem and has authored widely read books on evidence-based ethics and the long-term future.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Oxford University
Co-founded
Giving What We Can (2009), Centre for Effective AltruismOrganizationCentre for Effective AltruismOxford-based organization that coordinates the effective altruism movement, running EA Global conferences, supporting local groups, and maintaining the EA Forum.Quality: 78/100 (2011), 80,000 HoursOrganization80,000 Hours80,000 Hours is the largest EA career organization, reaching 10M+ readers and reporting 3,000+ significant career plan changes, with 80% of $10M+ funding from Coefficient Giving. Since 2016 they've...Quality: 45/100 (2011), Global Priorities Institute
Key Books
Doing Good Better (2015), Moral Uncertainty (2020), What We Owe the Future (2022)
Research Focus
Moral uncertainty, effective altruism, longtermism, AGI preparedness