David Edmonds, "Death in a Shallow Pond: A Philosopher, a Drowning Child, and Strangers in Need" (Princeton UP, 2025)

Sep 1, 2025

David Edmonds, a philosopher and author known for his engaging takes on complex ideas, discusses his book focused on Peter Singer's influential drowning-child thought experiment. He explores how this scenario reshaped our moral obligations towards global poverty and inspired the Effective Altruism movement. Edmonds tackles critiques of elitism in philanthropy, the balancing act between individual giving and structural change, and the perplexities of charity in governance. He also emphasizes the enduring relevance of the shallow pond metaphor in understanding our altruistic responsibilities.

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INSIGHT

Shallow Pond As Moral Mirror

Peter Singer's shallow pond thought experiment equates ignoring distant suffering with letting a nearby child drown.
The analogy forces affluent individuals to view everyday charity choices as morally comparable to saving a visible child.

ANECDOTE

The Expensive Shoes Story

Singer imagined a passerby who sees a child drowning in a shallow pond and would easily save them but fears ruining expensive shoes.
This simple vivid scene anchors Singer's claim that affluent people routinely ignore preventable suffering.

INSIGHT

Give More, Give Effectively

Effective Altruism pairs Singer's moral claim with a strategy: give and choose charities that maximize impact.
The movement pushes members to donate a share of income and to prioritize effectiveness over mere intent.

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Imagine this: You’re walking past a shallow pond and spot a toddler thrashing around in the water, in obvious danger of drowning. You look around for her parents, but nobody is there. You’re the only person who can save her and you must act immediately. But as you approach the pond you remember that you’re wearing your most expensive shoes. Wading into the water will ruin them—and might make you late for a meeting. Should you let the child drown? The philosopher Peter Singer published this thought experiment in 1972, arguing that allowing people in the developing world to die, when we could easily help them by giving money to charity, is as morally reprehensible as saving our shoes instead of the drowning child. Can this possibly be true? In Death in a Shallow Pond, David Edmonds tells the remarkable story of Singer and his controversial idea, tracing how it radically changed the way many think about poverty—but also how it has provoked scathing criticisms.
Death in a Shallow Pond describes the experiences and world events that led Singer to make his radical case and how it moved some young philosophers to establish the Effective Altruism movement, which tries to optimize philanthropy. The book also explores the reactions of critics who argue that the Shallow Pond and Effective Altruism are unrealistic, misguided, and counterproductive, neglecting the causes of—and therefore perpetuating—poverty. Ultimately, however, Edmonds argues that the Shallow Pond retains the power to shape how we live in a world in which terrible and unnecessary suffering persists.

David Edmonds is the bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and popular books on philosophy, including Wittgenstein’s Poker (with John Eidinow). His other books include Parfit, The Murder of Professor Schlick, and Would You Kill the Fat Man? (all Princeton). A Distinguished Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Uehiro Oxford Institute and a former BBC radio journalist, Edmonds hosts, with Nigel Warburton, the Philosophy Bites podcast, which has been downloaded nearly 50 million times.

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter.

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