01 What is IMPACTivism, and why do good? - a podcast by Logan Sullivan - Advocate, seeker, writer, humanitarian

The IMPACTivism Podcast is about how each of us, as individuals, can most effectively impact positive shifts in circumstances in the world we love and share.

It’s about how we’re completely disempowered to change certain things, and about how ridiculously empowered we are to change others, and about how to direct our attention, energy and resources to the latter.

Its about the magnitude if inefficient and ineffective ways or trying to do good, and about those select avenues that can accomplish so much, and how we can very simply choose to involve ourselves in the effective ones.

Its about ideas we can consider, choices we can make and action we can take to help alleviate the suffering and increase the wellbeing of humans and non-human animals, and how we can most constructively contribute to the health of our planet as a whole.

I’ll break down where our intuitions can often lead us astray when attempting to do good in the world, and how we can use our emotions not to guide our actions, but as fuel while allowing logic to remain in the drivers seat.

I’ll differentiate between good intentions and positive outcomes, between participating in change and creating a difference, between self-regarding and other-regarding actions, between doing less harm and actively doing good.

I’ll discuss our position in the world and what it means to be alive, well, educated and above the poverty line in the America in 2017.

I’ll highlight common logical fallacies and cognitive biases that may lead us to overestimate the positive impact of certain actions, and to drastically underestimate others.

I’ll talk about the value of challenging our limited perspectives and of opening our minds.
I’ll often refer to the Effective Altruism movement, to the 80/20 principle, to practical ethics and applied psychology, and how one individual can harness these philosophies as tools for achieving personal effectiveness first in how we attempt to go good, as well as in our lives in general.

I’ll constantly ask, what would have happened otherwise, what is the difference between the world you live in now, and that counterfactual world at the same point in time had you never been born, or had you made a different choice.

I guess its about how we can each live a life in which the difference between these two worlds is the largest, where the world you live in now, the one you’re a part of is better off for you having lived your life.

It’s not about how we can simply do our part as a contributing citizen, or do no harm, but rather about why we should aspire to do more, about how we can think and act in accordance with these aspirations, and how easy it actually is to do good if we’re thinking critically.

And its about achieving this impact WHILE living well, finding joy and fulfillment in the the process. Its about achieving the most good with the least sacrifice.

And lastly, I’ll talk about some of my experiences in investigating these topics through the lens of my work, travel and research.

Further episodes of IMPACTivism: Get better at doing good

Further podcasts by Logan Sullivan - Advocate, seeker, writer, humanitarian

Website of Logan Sullivan - Advocate, seeker, writer, humanitarian