The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Russia Coerces Ukrainians Into Voting To Join Russian Federation | William MacAskill

Episode Date: September 28, 2022

Russia coerces Ukrainians into voting in favor of joining the Russian Federation, Ronny Chieng teaches a class on K-pop, and William MacAskill discusses his book "What We Owe the Future."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Coming to you from New York City, the only city in America. It's the Daily Show. Tonight, Putin's jam election. Where Kpop came from. And William McCaskill. This is the Daily show with Trevor Noah. What's going on, everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you for coming out in person.

Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for being here, everybody. We've got a great show for you tonight. Take a seat, everybody. COVID is being replaced by something even worse. NASA has launched its war with space, and Ronnie Chang goes deep into the world of K-pop. So, let's do this, people. Let's jump straight into today's headlines. All right, everybody, before we get into the big stories, let's catch up on a few other things going on in the world.

Starting with the big moments, watched live around the globe. Last night, NASA tested a new planetary defense system by smashing a spacecraft into an asteroid. Boom! Yeah. How you like that, asteroid? That was for the dinosaurs. That was for the asteroid was not heading

for Earth, right? We're just testing the system. It wasn't heading towards us. But now the other asteroids, they know not to test us. You don't mess with Earth, man, we're loco, man. In health news, researchers have discovered that you can dissolve pills faster if you lie on your right side. Which raises a big question for me. How do I become a researcher? No, because it just sounds like fun. It looks a lot of fun.

Just sit around all day, thinking random thoughts like, huh, I wonder what would happen if I took Advil Doggy Style? Huh? Huh. Huh. And in financial news, Donald Trump is back on the Forbes 400 list of America's richest people at number 343, which I love so much. Yeah. I mean, how ironic is it that Donald Trump is the only guy doing well in Joe Biden's economy? Huh?

Yeah, he's going to end up running for president and then voting for Biden. I made so much Monday under Joe Brandon. And this Trump guy was crazy. I heard he wanted bleach in his lungs. I'm voting for Joe. But let's move on to some of the biggest stories of the day. Starting with our ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine. It has been seven months since Vladimir Putin went all Kool-aid man on Ukraine. But from day one, the war has been a disaster for him. First, Putin tried to take over all

of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian army stopped him. Then he tried to take over the eastern half, but the war has been a disaster for him. First, Putin tried to take over all of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian army stopped him. Then he tried to take over the Eastern half, but the Ukrainian army stopped him. Then, he try to slide into an Instagram model's DMs. And Instagram, like, it was just Instagram, so the Ukrainian army didn't do anything because it was Instagram. He was stopped by the fact that he was, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the the thi, the the the the the they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, the the the the the, the the the the the the, the the the the the the the the the the, the the the they they thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, today, try.eean, tryu.ea, try.ea, try.ea, try.ea, try try try try try try the fact that he looks like a heavily Botox Golan in a suit. No offense to Golan, I just need an example. The point is Vladimir Putin is not hashtag winning. So, after seven months of war, the Russian army only controls a slice of Ukraine.

And now, the Ukrainians are threatening to take that back, too. But before that happens, Vladimir Putin is saying, hey, hey, hey, what about democracy? In Ukraine, Russian-controlled areas in the east of the country are wrapping up a series of referendums asking voters if they want to be a part of Russia. The votes are illegal under international law, and some Ukrainians have been forced to vote at gunpoint. Election officials accompanied by armed soldiers, go trapsing up flights of stairs, knocking on doors searching for voters.

In the past few minutes, that Russian state media has announced the perimary results, claiming that people have voted overwhelmingly in favor of becoming part of the Russian Federation. The results supposedly showing 97 or 98% of the vote being in favor of joining the Federation. Yeah, you hear that? Russian soldiers are going door-to-door forcing people to vote to join Russia. And so because of that, 97% of the vote has been pro-Puton.

But I mean, let's be honest, I mean, these voters have a choice in the same way, we have a choice to not accept cookies on that website. You know? Yeah, it's like, what? If I click no? Can I not see how child stars have aged? What kind of a choice is that? 97%? No, my question is, who the hell is the 3%? No, I'm really impressed by that.

Who had the balls to still vote against Putin while his soldiers watched them mark their balance? Who was th, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, their, their, th, th, th, th, their, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, so, thi, so thi. So, thi, so thi, so I, so I, so I thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their their no, their no, their no, their no, their no, their no, their, their, their, their, th.. I I I I I th. I thi. I thi. So I thi. So I thi. So I thi. thi. thi? So I's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. toooo? Soo? Soo? Soo. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi balls to still vote against Putin while his soldiers watched them mark their ballots? Who was then just like, yes, I have voted for your mama? Oh, look at that. Oh, I voted twice. Oh, oh. So yeah, because it's a sham, it looks like 98% of the voters in this election voted to become a part of Russia. And honestly, like, why do they even go through all of the voters in this election voted to become a part of Russia. And honestly, like, why do they even go through all of this? Like going door to door, making everyone sign shit just so you can do what you were already doing anyway. I mean, it's one thing to conquer a town and blow up all their buildings,

but then to make them do paperwork, to say something and then acting like it's legit. Say you want to eat dog poop. Say you want to eat dog poop. Oh, I like to eat dog poop. He said it, he likes eating dog poop. No, I didn't, Steve. I just said it because you made me say it. I'm glad your parents broke up.

But let's move on to move on to some to some to some to some to some to some the news the on to some news that's closer to home. Even though the coronavirus pandemic seems to finally be on its way out, I think we can all admit the world is not exactly the same as it used to be. We're less eager to shake strangers hands. People generally don't sit next to each other in public places anymore. And now, every time you rob a a bank it takes so much longer for people to know you're the robber because everyone else is wearing a mask yeah so then you have to pull out a gun but because it's America everyone

else pulls out a gun and it's like at that point you just end up opening up a checking account and leaving you know I was just trying to rub the bank pandemic spoiled everything but good news good news good news the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the part of American life that is coming roaring back. Traffic is coming back to pre-pandemic levels. I've seen it with my own eyes. This all thanks to a push for workers to return to the office. Major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, seeing more commuter traffic, congestion, and it is growing.

Traffic is above pre-pandemic levels in Miami and Dallas, in Houston, and in Phoenix. There is an interesting disparity, though, taking place in the numbers. Monday and Friday, that is one traffic is typically lower, even lower than it was before the pandemic. Wednesday and Thursday are the really big days for traffic now in major cities across the country really starts to begin to rise today, Tuesday. Yeah, you see, because everyone now works remote part-time, and then everyone gets to choose which days they work remote and which those days they come in, all of the traffic that

used to be during the week is now only on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which sucks. All of it is crammed together. I will say as bad as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it as it is as it is as it is as it is as it is thas it is th as it is thus as it is thus as thus as to to to to to to toes to to to thia to toa to toa to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the the the to the to the to to the today. today. today today today today, today, thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. today thea today to today to to is crammed together. I will say as bad as it is for us humans, it is good for the cars. You know? Yeah, because now that traffic is slow, it gives them a chance to catch up again. Hey there, Craig! Hey, Craig! Long time no see, buddy! Hey! Yeah, nice paint job! Ah! Nothing wrong with turning back the clock a little bit, huh? Me? Yeah, things have been good. Some teenagers had sex in me, that was cool.

Oh boy, did you hear about Jerry, by the way? His owner dumped him for an electric. Yeah, he's taking it real hard. He's hooked on diesel now. It's a real shame, man. Oh, by the way, looks like my lane is moving. See you in two seconds, buddy! Ha ha ha! Ha! Ha! You know, when you think about it, the new traffic problem makes sense, right? Because everyone would rather spend an extra day at home on a Monday and a Friday, and that means that,

those days are going to be the days when everyone is chilling, right? Because those are the days when you're making the hangover or recovering from the hangover, you know what? Yeah, but now, but now think about this. If everyone is choosing the same days to be on the road, then those days are going to be the new. to be the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thoons. thoons. thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes throes thrown. thi one thi one thi one thoes thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one thi one the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thro o-coes throes throes throe. throoe. throoooooooooooooooooe. the. the. theee. theeee. thea thee. thee. the. the.the new Monday and then, wait, what? Well, I guess Wednesday's still going to be in the middle. It'll be that weird day in the middle, like the D that nobody even uses. Like, who says Weddness Day anyway, huh? It's probably the same people who say February should be arrested. The point is, the point is, the problem is happening because the week was designed incorrectly. Yeah, think about it. Who said the week has to be seven days? Huh? It's not a rule. It's what people don't realize. If we all do the same week, it's not going to get

better. My solution is instead of seven days, we should have a five-day week. Yeah, think about it, because you've seen every study that comes up, the the few of the days we work, it doesn't th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the thi, the thi, thi, the tho, the the the tho, tho, the thi, the thi, thi, the th. th. th. th. th, the the the th, the th, th, th, the th, is the th. is th. is the thi, is thi, is the the thi, is thi, is the thi, is the thr-a, is thrown, is throooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo decreases. All we do is spend extra time in the office, spending like we're working when really, we're just googling how long until Friday gets here. So we don't actually need more days in the office. Think about it, three days of work. That's what I propose. We do three days of work, two days a weekend. Yeah, yeah? Less traffic. He's just like, ah, it's Monday. Oh, it's Wednesday already. Friday, what a week!

By the way, I'm gonna need Monday off, I've got a thing. It's a perfect week. All right, that's it for today's headlines. Let's move on to something that everyone loves now. It's time to check in on today's today's today's today's to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to see you again, Jocene. How are you doing today? Well, you know, I woke up on the right side of the dirt, so it is what it is, baby. All right, well, Ducey, hit us with the numbers.

You know, I heard Trump back on the Forbes 400 list. Oh yeah, yeah, he is. Like, I give a damn. Listen, to keep putting out this list, like, why are we supposed to care? It's just a bunch of drunk. It's like a bunch of rich mothb-fix we don't know. Like, why am I supposed to care that you rich? I still eat at checkers.

Like, what are we talking about? Right? Like, why do we need to know this information? Like, they're basically giving us a list of 400 people people people people people people their their their their their they're they're their they're tha, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're, they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're th th like they're basically giving us a list of 400 people we should rob. Like, it's like a crime starter pack. Like don't rob your neighbor, rob number 26. Like it makes sense. Okay, well speaking of cash, thank you for sharing all of that. Can we get the lots of numbers please? Listen I'm trying to tell you something. Okay, okay. You saw the asteroid story? I did, yeah. Ooh, I I f'lip with NASA, okay? I don't matter to f-foomato. I love the Space Museum. I mean, I wouldn't

go to space because I don't believe in going anywhere where you have to bring your own air. It's a bad I'll never scuba dive. Like if I was supposed to be down there, I'd have gills. This is dumb. Like I'm not that little Haley girl. I ain't gonna be down there. What I'm saying is, did you see the live straight? Yeah, yeah, the video that they had, yeah. They put the camera on the front of the thing. If you put it on the, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, I the, I the, I the, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the. the. th. the the the the the the the. the, the, the, the, the, the, the video that they had, yeah? They put the camera on the front of the thing.

If you put it on the, like, it was running into the asteroid, so I didn't, like, it was like watching a video with someone falling down wearing a GoPro. Like, are you okay? Are we dead? Like, I don't know what's happening here. It was science. Listen, we ganged up on an innocent asteroid. Just minding his business, being in space, believing what he believes, being a horoscope, you know. I mean that space, that's

where the horoscopes come from, right? It was bullying. A bullying? What are you talking about? We'd have thrown a little machine into that little asteroid living his life. It's bullying! We were messing with that little asteroid. What if we pissed off his mama? You've seen a cartoon? You know when you mess with the little baby something the mama always show up pissed? The little asteroid's mama's just going to be floating out there like,

mm-hmm. Who crashed into you? Don't tell me it was NASA every damn time, is that NASA boy? Okay, Tosei, I don't think the asteroid has a mom and I feel like we've run out of time completely. Can you just give us the lotter numbers right now, please, Dosea. Fine. One, 13, 21, 8, 8, thirty four. No, no, no, no, no. No. No, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you. I gave you the nugs. No, you used all of my time for your stories and none of them for the lot.

I want to talk about the news. Yeah, what I'm saying, you can't do them all at once, right? You got to, you got to, you got, you got take, you take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, take, to, take, to, take, to, take, to, take, take, take, to, to, take, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, to, the, the, the, the, the, the, to, to, to, to, the, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, the, the Yes. I got your spants. I got your spands. Bye. Go say to him. Go say it. All right. Go say Sloan, everybody. All right. When we come back,

you're going to teach about K-KPOP, don't go away. You can't just disappear in the middle of the middle. Go say Sloan, everybody! I'm going to come back to the show. One of the biggest trends in music over the last few years has been K-pop. But while it might be new to you, K-pop has a long and fascinating history. So, let's find out about it in another because today we're learning about something

that's blowing up all over the world. No, not climate change. Okay, I don't teach boring stuff in this classroom. I'm talking about K-pop. It's why your cousin suddenly speaks Korean more fluently than English. And believe it or not, K-pop used to be something that only Koreans knew about. The rest of the world wasn't always into it. Like how there was a time when white people didn't know about yoga. The first group to really break through internationally was the Kim Sisters.

Sookja, Eja, and Minja started singing as children during the Korean War for American GIs. They sang, they danced, they danced, and they played 20 instruments. I can't, the the the the and they played 20 instruments. I can't even name 20 instruments. Saxophone, no. In 1959, they got a contract to perform in Vegas. Ed Sullivan was taping a show there, and they managed to book a performance on the show. There was such a hit, they got asked back 20 more times. Do you know how great you have to be to get asked back to anything 20 times?

I don't even get invited to join LinkedIn that much. Unfortunately, the growth of K-pop hit a bump in the road soon after, when South Korea fell under the dictatorship of President Park Junhi, who started banning music. They even created a blacklist of songs that radio stations couldn't play. Everyone's end of year Spotify summary just said, your most played song was the national anthem. But Korean artists kept making music that challenged the status quo, like folk singer Han Desu-Su, whose albums were banned for anti-government messaging.

Or rock guitarist Shin Chonghe, who, the story goes, defy the dictator's request to write a song in his honor. And let's face it, wanting a song to be written the song the song the song to be written to be written the song the song to be written to be written the song the song to be written the song to be written to be written to be written the the the to be written to be written to be written to be written to be written to be written to be written to write a song in his honor. And let's face it, wanting a song to be written about you is classic dictator behavior. Right after military parades and having a weird haircut everyone tells you looks great. By the 80s, the dictatorship had loosened. And by loosened, I mean the dictator was assassinated. But whatever, it made listening to the radio fun again. Outside music was allowed back in the country, and two of the most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most most the in the country and two of the most influential

genres became hip-hop and R&B. Black artists from Michael Jackson to run D.N.C. reshaped the musical landscape of self-career. It inspired performers like Deuce, DJDOC, and Sir Tejee and Boys, who are the earliest examples of Kpop as we know it today. They even made it into the movie soundtrack for Three Ninja's Kickback. today. They even made it into the movie soundtrack for three ninjas kickback. You didn't think if you're watching a movie in class today, did you? Yeah, well I didn't think I still have a hangover, but sometimes life surprises. This was a big moment for Korean pop music, even if the song was being played over a scene set in Japan. But give them a break, okay? They're the three ninjas, not the three cultural sensitivity experts.

The next big step towards today's K-pop was in the 1990s, when major music studio started putting performers together in boy and girl bands. That's right, Korea was doing that long before Simon Carwell's nips ever started poking through his t-shirts. That's a no from me dog. It's no surprise this new wave of K-pop blew up around the world. It featured complex melodies unlike any other pop music and always had next level dance choreography. To this day, those remain the signature elements of K-pop. That and being Asian. Very important requirement. This new generation of K-pop stars became so successful, the government started to take notice and soon lost a program to promote Korean music around the globe. They saw K-pop as a way to boost Korea's cultural strength and economy without having to

do a squid game. But one of the biggest K-pop sensations was a surprise no government could predict. I'm sorry, I know it took you 10 years to get this out of your head, but we've got talk about it. Gunnum style was was was was was s style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style style the th style th style th style the thi style the the thi thi thi. thi. thi. their tho-soffio-soffi. thi. their their their their their their their their their their their 10 years to get this out of your head, but we got to talk about it. Gundam style was the first video to break a billion views on YouTube. It was so popular, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the song, saying the odds was the path to cultural understanding. He said that about Kandem style. That's like if they played baby-shyk during a war and all their weapons and hugging each other. Since then, the rest of a world is more into K-pop than ever before.

From girl groups like Girls Generation and Black Pink, to artists like C.L. But let's get to the group you've been waiting for. The reason you're enrolled in this class in the first place. BT, Mother-F-S. Three letters so important, the rest of the alphabet doesn't even exist anymore. They've dominated the charts, they've generated billions in revenue, they made it okay to eat butter again, they even increased tourism to South Korea. I mean I'm glad my fans aren't that devoted because then they'd have to travel to Australia, which trust me you don't want to do that. BTS is without a in the world. You can tell by their fans, the BTS Army is the second largest military after the US, and they've drawn zero weddings.

BTS might be on hiatus, but there's so much new Kpop we can enjoy what they're gone. And now you know how I got to where it is today. Oppakana style. Oh, f-ahmah. thi. Now it's in my head, though. Get it out. Get it out. Thank you so much for that Ronnie. All right, stay tuned because when we come back, we're going to be chatting with one of the most popular philosophers of our time, William McCaster, so don't go away. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is a philosophy professor at Oxford and he's an entrepreneur who helped

start the effective altruism movement. Welcome back to the effective altruism movement. He's here to talk about that and his new book about improving the future of humanity called What We O the Future. Please welcome, William McCaskill. William McCaskill, welcome to the Daily Show. Thanks so much for having me. I'm a huge fan.

It's a, it's interesting speaking. William McCaskill, welcome to the Daily Show. Thanks so much for having me. I'm a huge fan. It's interesting speaking to a philosopher, because when they say philosopher, I remember thinking, oh, it's probably going to be like a 90-year-old man with like a stick, and it's, what is the meaning of life? I can't even grow a beard. I suck as a philosopher. You're not just young. You're very successful. You're a professor who deals with, I guess, are you dealing with some of the biggest moral issues in society?

Help me understand what your field of expertise actually is. So I'm a little different from a normal model philosopher, because I'm a little less head in the sky, clouds. I want to fundamentally, I want to make the world a better place. And so I'm asking the question, how can we do as much as possible to make the world better? That's what effective altruism is about. And so the moral questions that I'm addressing are those that we need to figure out if we want to answer that question, where there are just so many problems in the problems problems, where problems, where the world, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, where, the problems, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, many problems in the world. Just the impoverty, factory farming, chance of the next pandemic, how do we prioritize

among them if we want to do as much good as we can? Is it even possible to do that? You know, one of the first questions somebody may ask in response to you is, are humans inherently good? What would you, what would you say to them if to that, just humans are very malleable. So people can be inspired to do amazing things, terrific things. Again, I've seen this. Now, thousands of people committing to give at least 10% of our income, often much more to those causes that will do the most good.

So by promoting the idea of effective altruism, I've seen many people get inspired to do good. But you can also inspire people to do bad. The history of the 20th century showed the banality of evil, just how people could, even good people, could get swayed by bad ideologies and produce horrific outcomes. So let's talk a little bit about convincing people to give money to causes that will benefit the planets or humans around them. In this book, you talk about the future in a really interesting way. What we owe the future. Your argument, and correct me if I'm wrong, is basically that we have a moral obligation to,

sort of quote-unquote, our future cell, like the future humans, the humans that will inhabit the planet because what we come into was created or shaped by someone, and somebody is going to come into that, and so, and so obligation. Some people might say to you, oh yeah well I'm here now and you know nobody did anything for me so why should I care about what happens to somebody who's around when I'm not. Yeah or you might ask what should we do for future people? Right, what have they ever they ever done for us? Exactly, for sure. But I think the idea that we should care about future? What what what what what their their their their they they they they they they they their. What they they they they they th. What they th. What they th. What th. What they they they th. What they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they to to to to to to. to. to. to. try. try. tell. tell. tell. tell. to tell. to tell. to they're are are are are their they're going to. What are they going to ever have done for us? Exactly, for sure. But I think the idea that we should care about future people is just utterly common sense. So imagine you're walking, you're hiking on a trail,

and you drop some glass, and it shatters. And you wonder, should I pick up the glass? Should I clean after myself? Maybe someone to walk along the tahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah... their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. tho. thi. thi. their. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. their. their. the the the the the their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. the. the. the. te. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. te. te. te. th. the. the. their. their. their. themselves. And you think, well, you know, obviously I should because I don't want to harm someone. But now just imagine, do they cut themselves tomorrow or in a year's time or in a hundred years' time? Would that change the morality of the situation? I don't think so. Harm is harm, no matter when it occurs. And just as we should care about people, whether they're in the ti. told, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, toe, their, their, or in, or in, or in, or in, or in, or in, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, or, in, or, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, their. And, their. If. If. If. If. If. If their. If. If, t t t t tomorrow, their, tomorrow, their, their, their, their, their. their. tomorrow, t other side of the planet, no matter where they are in space. We should care about people no matter where they are in time as well. So how do we begin to get people to agree with that? Because you're based in the UK, right? And so if I've read, you know my research correctly, you donate, is it how many 50% of your income? Yeah, it's a little more than that actually now, so.

So you donate more than 50% of your income to causes that you believe in? Yeah, that's, right. Right, that's, that's amazing. And, and some people would say, insane, right? And when I, when I heard that you did this, I remember thinking, oh, but is it easier to do it because you come from a place where your health care will be taken care of? Is it easier to do this because you feel like there's a social net?

Or is it hard no matter where you're from? Like many Americans would say, well, I can't give away my money, because I don't know what I'm going to need to pay for or not. How do you convince people that giving away what they would say is hard-earned is actually better for them when it's for others? Yeah, I think there's a couple of things here. So one is just, I acknowledge, I'm in this position of unbelievable, I'm born, I'm born, I'm born, I'm born, I'm born into a rich country, I was well educated, and that means, you know, I think I have like a responsibility to use, you know, that privilege to do good in the world. But the striking thing is that even after my giving, so I

try and give, you know, everything above about $35,000, that still puts me in the richest 3% of the world's population. If you're earning $60,000 per year, you're in the richest 1%. You are the 1% globally speaking. And so I'm OK, I'm giving 50%. But I can hardly complain. I'm still in the richest 3%. But the crucial thing, really, is I thought this was going to be a sacrifice.

I thought it was going to be hard, but worth to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be the to be to be to be the to be the to be hard, but worth it because it was going to benefit so many people. But it's actually not. I've actually found it an incredibly rewarding thing to do. And I think my life is actually happier as a result. So it means, you know, I don't have a big car house, I don't have a fancy car. Right. I do have wonderful relationships. I've got wonderful friends. I'm also part of this broader community, effective autism community that is friends. I'm also part of this broader community, effective autism community, that is inspiring, hard-working, people who are really focused on trying to make the world better, and I hope at least we're really making a positive difference. And that's just, that's worth more than all the luxury goods that money could buy. Wow. It's a, it's a, it's a mind shift that's extremely difficult to achieve,

which is, you know, I guess why you do the work that you do. It's also interesting to see how many billionaires have signed onto your ideas. You know, everybody from Bill Gates to Elon Musk, who don't even agree with each other, by the way, and have both said, oh, yeah, I really like what William is saying. I really agree with this I think we should be giving away vast amounts of our wealth etc but but when I when I see this I often think to myself it's easy for us to say people should give away 10% 20% percent whatever of their wealth and say everyone should do this their income but when you get to a certain point, 10% or 20% of your income doesn't affect your life. You know, if you're a billionaire and you give away 10% 20% 20% 20%

yes, it's a huge number, but it doesn't change this person's life, whereas somebody who's working paycheck to paycheck notices when 10% or 20% of their money is gone. So shouldn't this be an obligation that is placed predominantly at the feet of those who are the most privileged? so privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged. So privileged, I th privileged, I th privileged, I th privileged, I th privileged, I th privileged, I th privileged, I thi thi thi, I thi, I thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th. th, th. th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. an obligation on the most privileged. So yeah, if you're billionaire, so Bill Gates, you know, ushered in a new era of billionaire philanthby saying 50 percent. Right. I think the standard should be higher, 99 percent or more. And... And...

And... And... ... So, yeah, I mean, people are laughing, but a decent chunk of my life is talking to billionaires and kind of convince them to give almost all the money away. What do you say, William. Help me understand this. Help me understand.

Help me understand. So I mean, so yeah. So, billionaires are notorious for not giving their money away. I think that's going to change. So what do you say, thiiii is, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to say, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to give to give to give tooomomome, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give, to give to give to give to give, to give, to to to to to to to to their their. their. their. their. tooomiii. their. theirni. toooomoomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooombueueuea, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, to What do you say to them? Well, at least for some. So we say two things. One, like you say, just money just above a certain threshold, money just doesn't affect your well-being, come on. And then secondly, money can be used to make a transformative difference. It cost $3,000 to save a life by protecting children in sub-Saharan Africa from metal area by distributing insecticide-treated bed nets. This is a very reliable, well-evidenced fact.

So say again, $3,000. $3,000 and that's with insecticides, the bed nettings to protect them from malaria, which is still one of the biggest, if not the biggest killer. Thousands of children every day die, unnecessarily. There are other risks too. You know, pandemics is something we worry about, nuclear war. And so, yeah, the case is just like, look, it's going to make almost no difference in your life. It's going to be enormously

impactful for the world. And actually we've seen success. So there are a number of people in the kind of broader effect of altruism movement, Dustin Moskovitz, now Sam Bankman Fried, who are planning to give 99% or more. And I think that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can that can be that can be that can be that can be th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, the their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thr. thei. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea, thea, th. thi. and I think that can be the new standard. Wow! When you talk in the book, you know, there are parts that I read where you interrogate the reader to ask questions about how they view the world and I think most importantly how much they want to make a difference. So for instance you'll argue here you, if you want to make an impact in climate change, you know, there are things you can do, for instance, you can become a vegetarian. You can say, okay, I'm going to try and limit my carbon output. If you really care, you can say I'm going to travel less, I'm going to fly less, or I'm going to ride a bicycle more or whatever it may be.

You're talking to people and you're talking to to to to to to to people individuals individuals individuals individuals individuals individuals individuals individuals individuals. received by corporations that have like an outsize output because every one person can try to do one thing but like most of the smoke that's coming out and you know most of the out you know the carbon output is it's coming from concentrated places yes I'm not saying individuals don't make a big contribution but do you find any of those big sources are receptive to this or is always the money too big and the face too obscure? Yeah, I mean honestly I've been kind of pretty disappointed at attempts to move companies in a more philanthropic direction because corporate philanthropy, 99% of the time, is a PR mechanism.

And so some of the misconceptions that people have about how best to fight climate change, you can actually see being promoted by fossil fuel companies. So Shell is very keen on the idea that what we should be doing is reducing our carbon footprint personally, whereas what we should be trying to do is put the fossil fuel companies out of business. Well, I see why you individuals can help do that. And we as individuals can help do that. So look, if you try and reduce your own carbon footprint,

okay. In the US, American will emit about 15 tons of carbon dioxide. Go, be a hero. Do everything you can. Maybe you can get that to zero. You can do as much good as if you'd never been born. OK. That's the kind of standard. But we can do so much more than that.

Donate 10% of your income. Let's say that's $3,000 for the very most targeted organizations funding, clean technology. The sort the sort that means that means that means that means that means that means means that means means that means that means means that means that means we means we means we means we means we means we that means we that means we that means that means thoe tho most targeted organizations funding clean technology, the sort of thing that means we no longer need to rely on fossil fuels. Okay. Then you would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere by something that's more like 3,000 tons per year. So you'd be doing 200 times as much good with very targeted donations to the most effective non-profits even compared to this heroic effort to get your carbon footprint down zero. So just 3,000, it's like you have a choice, 3,000 dollars or just never be born. Yeah.

But $3,000 sounds cheap. I think it's pretty good. Thank you so much for joining you on the show. I wish I could encompass everything in the book, but that's why you wrote the book. I hope to see you again. William McCaskill, everybody. What we owe the future is available now, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back after this. Thank you very much. Yes, really...

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