Page 6 - Will Macaskill News Today

Longtermism is influencing billionaire philanthropy and shaping politics. Should it guide the future of humanity?

The philosopher William MacAskill lays out the case for longtermism: “Future people count. There could be a lot of them. And we can make their lives better.”

A covnersation with philosopher William MacAskill.

The philosophy behind effective altruism has gone mainstream — and gotten rich. Where does that leave it?

Sam Bankman-Fried is a studiously disheveled billionaire who made a fortune overseeing trades that are too risky for the U.S. market. Now he wants Washington to follow his lead.

You pretty quickly run out of really effective ways to make yourself happier by spending money.

You pretty quickly run out of really effective ways to make yourself happier by spending money.

The Economic Club of New York has hosted kings, prime ministers, and presidents, as well as Amazon.com Inc.s Jeff Bezos and JPMorgan Chase & Co.s Jamie Dimon.

Five years ago, Sam Bankman-Fried was working for a charitable organisation that promoted the then-fringe idea of “effective altruism”: using scientific reasoning to figure out how to do the most good for the most people. Then he spotted a seemingly too-good-to-be-true pricing anomaly in Bitcoin and decided that, for him, the right path would be making tons of money to give away.

Sam Bankman-Fried’s road to becoming a billionaire started when he spotted a seemingly too-good-to-be-true pricing anomaly in Bitcoin. But he isn’t planning on holding onto his fortune.