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 distinguished philosopher and author at Oxford's Uehiro Institute, delves into Peter Singer's provocative shallow pond thought experiment. He explores the moral implications of saving a drowning child versus the costs of inaction—like losing expensive shoes. The conversation challenges the concept of Effective Altruism, examining criticisms that it perpetuates poverty and ignores systemic issues. Edmonds also discusses the psychological impact of charity messaging and the ethical dilemmas posed by billionaire philanthropy and inequality.

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ANECDOTE

Origin Of The Shallow Pond Story

Peter Singer invented the shallow pond thought experiment after witnessing the 1971 East Pakistan crisis.
He used the easy-to-imagine drowning child to argue affluent people routinely walk past global suffering.

INSIGHT

Giving Plus Measurement

Effective Altruism pairs donating with rigorous assessment of charities' impact.
The movement asks both how much to give and where money does the most good.

INSIGHT

Elitism And Donor Motives

Criticisms of Effective Altruism include claims it is Western, elitist, and savior-driven.
Edmonds says rich donors' motives vary and their giving can still produce net benefits despite image concerns.

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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.