DOING what is right and doing what is good are not always the same thing, Professor Mona Siddiqui said on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day on Tuesday. You might have thought that we were in the realm of philosophical inquiry, but she was talking about a pop record.

Perhaps Professor Siddiqui, of the University of Edinburgh, was thinking of The Right and the Good, an important work of ethical theory by the Scottish philosopher David Ross. “Right”, he said, speaks of moral obligation, whereas “good” describes what best enhances life. Certainly, there is a clash between deontology and virtue ethics in the current row between the rock stars Bob Geldof and Ed Sheeran.

To mark the 40th anniversary of Band Aid’s 1984 single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, Mr Geldof has released a remix of the song, which blends voices from Band Aid (1984), Band Aid 20 (2004), and Band Aid 30 (2014). It brings together the voices of three generations of pop stars in one single track. Mr Sheeran, who sang on the 2014 version, has objected to being included. His “understanding of the narrative” around Band Aid has changed, he says. Influenced by African musicians, he now sees its approach as outdated.

Certainly society’s views of the relationship between charity and need has developed over the past four decades. Development professionals now want to downplay the idea of “whites to the rescue of blacks”, wanting, instead, to help Africans to take charge of their own destiny. But does that mean it is right to condemn Band Aid for “white saviour syndrome”?

Being right isn’t always good enough. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, sided with Mr Sheeran, saying that Band Aid “might end up doing more harm than good” by perpetuating damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment. His criticism might be more cogent were it not for the fact that his army has recently shelled, looted, and destroyed many schools, hospitals, and businesses —– leaving two million people displaced from their homes in Tigray, the part of Ethiopia in which Band Aid has, since 2010, funded Mary’s Meals, who provided school meals for 110,000 children last year alone.

Members of the African diaspora living comfortable lives in the West may find images of hunger and war in their home continent uncomfortable. But what Mr Geldof calls “this little pop song” has, over the past 40 years, kept millions of children alive as the Band Aid Trust responds to the requests that continue to pour into its office. Others involved have been more robust. The Live Aid promoter and Band Aid trustee Harvey Goldsmith told “these busybodies and woke do-gooders who know everything” to “get out and do something” instead of criticising others.

There’s more to it than that. The developing world is still burdened by rules on trade, debt, and pharmaceuticals, which are laid down in the rich world. The lesson of the journey from Live Aid to Live 8 — from charity to justice — is that politicians here need to feel pressure from the general public to change that. And public opinion is potently influenced by the voices of the celebrities that the public admire. That may not be right. But it is certainly good.