ABOUT
“There is a growing movement called effective altruism. It’s important because it combines both the heart and the head.”
Peter Singer, The why and how of effective altruism (TED Conference, 2013)
The goal of effective altruism is simple: to do a lot of good by using evidence and reason. We all have limited resources - be those financial, motivational or time resources - which we can devote to trying to improve the world. Aspiring effective altruists try to answer the question: given our limited resources, how can we make use of them to improve the world?
Effective altruism invites people to think strategically about how to use their resources to do a lot of good. It also invites people to think big. Saving lives, improving the health of many, and helping to safeguard the future of humanity are more within reach than many of us ever suspected. Making a real, measurable difference in the world is possible, with the aid of evidence and research. That's an amazing ability to have.
There's no single cause that effective altruism advocates for. At an effective altruism meetup, you'll meet people who care about global poverty, people who are working on animal welfare, and those who are doing research into how to protect the earth for future generations. The defining feature of aspiring effective altruists is that they try to use evidence and careful reasoning to arrive at their goals, and to work out how to best meet them.
If you want to make the world a better place, and if you're curious about how you can use rationality in order to do that, effective altruism is a perfect fit for you. To find out more, get started with the following links, or watch philosopher Will MacAskill's Ted talk about effective altruism below.
ABOUT US
Effective Altruism Melbourne was started when small groups of people in Melbourne decided to meet up to talk about how to improve the world. From these humble beginnings, the organisation has grown substantially. It was incorporated in 2015 to ensure its future sustainability and to allow it to best represent the views and needs of all aspiring effective altruists in Melbourne, through the democratic processes enshrined in its constitution.
Effective Altruism Melbourne's aims are:
-
To increase awareness of effective altruism ideas
-
To provide support for effective altruism causes
-
To serve as a local representative body for the global effective altruism movement
-
To provide a forum for people to learn about the ideas of effective altruism
-
To foster a welcoming and diverse community
Throughout Effective Altruism's history, it has engaged in many different activities in the course of pursuing these aims. Hundreds of effective altruists have attended dozens of Effective Altruism Melbourne's events, public lectures, discussion groups and social events. Effective Altruism Melbourne has twice hosted the annual EAGx Australia conference, featuring speakers such as Peter Singer AC (Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University), Catherine Hollander (Senior Research Analyst, GiveWell), Rob Wiblin (Director of Research, 80,000 Hours), and Dr Meredith Doig (President, Rationalist Society of Australia). Other activities have included fundraising for highly effective charities, a 2017 submission to the Australian Foreign Policy White Paper, and assisting effective altruism-related university clubs with their projects.
OUR TEAM
Aditi Basu
President
Aditi holds a keen interest in reducing nonhuman animal suffering and recently quit her full-time job with the goal of working in an impactful role within the pro-animal movement. Ever since discovering effective altruism, she tries to embody EA principles in her day-to-day life. In her free time, she enjoys climbing or practising jiu-jitsu, reading, listening to podcasts and being a pawrent to her three cat babies. After having lived in 7 countries and 8 cities, Melbourne may become the place she finally calls home... maybe!
Lucas Lewit-Mendes
Vice President
Lucas is an economist at the Department of Treasury and Finance and was previously a part-time researcher at the Shrimp Welfare Project. He is an avid soccer, AFL, and tennis player and supporter, and loves to apply his EA knowledge to Supercoach (fantasty football)! He has a keen interest in the animal welfare and global poverty cause areas.
EJ Watkins
Treasurer
EJ has a background in chemistry research but is pivoting his career towards AI safety research. Alongside ensuring the safe and equitable development of AI, he is also passionate about social and economic equality, sustainability, and making the world a more just, free and peaceful place. When he's not worrying about the state of the world, he enjoys playing boardgames, solving riddles, and reading rationalist fanfiction.
Callum Dyer
Secretary
Callum is a tech consultant. At work, he takes great pleasure in adding to his toolset of skills. As an EA, he is interested in multiple cause areas, including global health and poverty, AI safety, pandemic preparedness and animal welfare, among others. He is an avid reader, particularly of non-fiction audiobooks (he is currently enjoying reading Caro's Master of the Senate).
Sam Nolan
General Committee Member
Sam is an EA who loves Cost-Effectiveness Analyses and dislikes philosophy. He currently works at a global poverty charity that works to help people in the world's hardest places, where he tries his hardest to ensure your Christmas goats get to a loving family. When he's not at work or thinking about EA, he'll be enjoying some recreational math, listening to the same song over 300 times in a row, or on his 4 hour a day commute (or all three)!
Kai Windle
General Committee Member
Kai is a student at the University of Melbourne, where he is currently completing a Masters degree in applied mathematics. He studied psychology and statistics as an undergrad, and is an enthusiastic mandolin player in his spare time.
POLICIES
We care a lot about the wellbeing of our community. We aim to create events and spaces in which all people feel welcome, and which allow for productive and enjoyable engagement by all community members. The following policies exist to support these aims. All participants in our events and spaces (including online spaces) are bound by these policies during their participation.
Click on each policy to view it in a separate window.