Really enjoyed this book. I think it highlights how peculiar of a moral theory utilitarianism really is, which is the philosophical underpinning of being a “do-gooder,” as Peter Singer exemplifies. That utilitarianism levies essentially limitless duties, and that it does not distinguish between action and inaction, makes for an inhuman ethics that makes some people perform extreme acts of altruism.
The profiles were all quite interesting. I was especially intriuged by the Japanese man (forgot his name) who became a monk and the family who adopted 22 children.
There was also a really interesting section where she describes the lack of do-gooders in fiction, which she attributes to the fact that literature prizes specificity and complexity, whereas do-gooders organize their lives around abstract moral principles. In highbrow fiction the do-gooders are usually portrayed as self-important and overly sentimental; they are portrayed without criticism only in lowbrow fiction. (There are exceptions, notably Tolstoy in the later phase of his career.)