More Than Good by Effective Altruism Australia

Effective Altruism Australia

More Than Good is a sharp, thought-provoking exploration of what it actually means to “do good” in the modern world,moving beyond feel-good intentions to interrogate how we use money, power, and decision-making to create real impact. Across conversations with philosophers, investors, policymakers, and practitioners, it tackles uncomfortable but necessary questions: Do we have a moral obligation to help others? Is capitalism inherently flawed or can it be ethical? Why are some causes like animal suffering or global health—massively neglected despite their scale?

Episodes

  1. Are You Actually a Good Person? On Ethics, Wealth & Doing More Good

    May 10

    Are You Actually a Good Person? On Ethics, Wealth & Doing More Good

    What does it actually mean to be a good person? Is it about intention… or impact? Kindness… or sacrifice? And if you knew you could save a life ...would you change how you live? In this episode of More Than Good, we sit down with some of the world’s most thoughtful minds on ethics, philanthropy, and human behaviour: Peter Singer — one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time Grace Adams — CEO of Effective Altruism Australia Krystian Seibert — Executive Director, Policy and Sector Development at Philanthropy Australia and Chair of Mental Health First Aid International Tse Yip Fai — researcher and PhD candidate on the intersection of AI and animal ethics Together, they unpack the uncomfortable, often confronting questions most of us avoid: Do we have a moral obligation to help others — or is it a personal choice? How much should someone earning “comfortably” actually be giving? If you could save one person you love or reduce suffering for 100 strangers… what would you choose? Can you live a good life and still enjoy wealth, travel, and comfort? We also go deeper into the ideas shaping modern ethical thinking: 1) Why most charitable giving doesn’t align with where suffering is greatest. 2) The concept of speciesism - and why our moral circle might be too small. 3) Why lower-income individuals often give more (proportionally) than the wealthy. 4) Whether governments should mandate giving — like India’s 2% CSR rule. 5) What an economy optimised for wellbeing, not profit, might actually look like. This isn’t a feel-good conversation. It’s a reality check. Because once you understand how much good you could do… it becomes harder to ignore what you’re choosing not to do. More Than Good is a new podcast from Effective Altruism Australia. Donate to effective charities: https://effectivealtruism.org.au/donate-podLearn more about effective altruism: https://effectivealtruism.org.au/Sign up to our newsletter: https://effectivealtruism.org.au/newsletter

    1h 21m

About

More Than Good is a sharp, thought-provoking exploration of what it actually means to “do good” in the modern world,moving beyond feel-good intentions to interrogate how we use money, power, and decision-making to create real impact. Across conversations with philosophers, investors, policymakers, and practitioners, it tackles uncomfortable but necessary questions: Do we have a moral obligation to help others? Is capitalism inherently flawed or can it be ethical? Why are some causes like animal suffering or global health—massively neglected despite their scale?