For the first event in 2026 philosopher David Edmonds (HF 1993-94) brought to life the iconic “shallow pond” thought experiment that challenges how we think about moral obligation to strangers and the world’s most vulnerable. Based on his new book Death in a Shallow Pond, David explored the ethical currents behind effective altruism, the debates it has sparked, and why these philosophical questions matter for how we live and give in an interconnected world.
David started by explaining the shallow pond experiment: –
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. Singer published this in the context of the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971. Later in the talk David added complexity to this model; what if there are other adults around? What if it keeps happening day after day?
In a discussion with Maddy Phipps-Taylor, the host for the evening, David explained Peter Singer’s views on philanthropy, focusing on the distinction between emotional and rational responses to charitable giving. They explored Singer’s arguments about the moral relevance of distance and anonymity in saving lives, and how effective altruists like Toby Ord and Will MacAskill built upon these ideas to advocate for giving 10% of income to charity.
The Effective Altruism movement evolved from Singer’s work on altruism to incorporate effectiveness metrics. Effective altruists evaluate charity effectiveness beyond overhead costs, including the challenge of comparing different outcomes and valuing lives. They discussed specific examples like malaria bed nets and blindness treatment, noting that while precise measurements are difficult, charities can still be ranked in terms of effectiveness. This can involve taking waste and failure into account – for example, the price of an individual malaria bed net may be about £3, but not all nets are used appropriately, and many are diverted for other uses, and they break over time, so the cost of saving one human from getting the disease, is not the cost of one net. David reflected that it is more expensive that you might think to save a life.
David explained how Sam Bankman-Fried was recruited by Will MacAskill to became perhaps the most famous effective altruist. MacAskill’s organization 80,000 Hours, advised some young people to pursue high-earning careers to maximize their charitable giving and thereby social impact. This thinking contributed to Bankman-Fried founding the crypto exchange FTX. David discussed the downfall of FTX and Bankman-Fried, highlighting its impact on the effective altruism movement and questioning his genuine intentions despite his public image of frugality.
David introduced the concept of “future people” and how we should consider them in our thinking, tracing its origins to Derek Parfit*, and noted its appeal to tech billionaires like Elon Musk.
Reflecting on the critiques of effective altruism, David discussed the institutional critique that shifts moral responsibility from individuals to large institutions such as governments and NGOs, and the effectiveness critique that questions the distortive impact of aid, as advanced by Nobel laureate Angus Deaton. He cited the example of some previously under-developed countries that have seen the most growth in recent years but were not recipients of significant aid, whereas others like Malawi, that have received much international aid, struggle to grow their economies. The recent withdrawal of USAID as well as other aid programmes, including the UK’s, is a natural experiment that will test the logic of this argument, although the results may take years to be fully comprehended.
Participants raised questions about the historical and colonial context in current responsibilities, the psychology of giving, and the potential for pure altruism. The session concluded with reflections on the relevance of the discussed concepts to real-world issues, including public health, with participants returning to the shallow pond thought experiment and suggesting we should be doing more to stop the child falling into the pond in the first place.
*See here for a feature in the HFA newsletter on Derek Parfit, also a Harkness fellow.
About the Speaker
David Edmonds is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Uehiro Oxford Institute, and a leading public philosopher whose work bridges scholarly insight and real-world dilemmas. Besides Death in a Shallow Pond he is the author of a range of critically acclaimed books including Wittgenstein’s Poker and Would You Kill the Fat Man? With Nigel Warburton he co-hosts the popular Philosophy Bites podcast, and he frequently appears in media and public forums discussing pressing social and moral questions. David was a Harkness Fellow at the University of Chicago, 1993-4.
Selected Publications by David Edmonds:
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.
Parfit is an entertaining and illuminating biography of a brilliant philosopher who tried to rescue morality from nihilism. Derek Parfit (1942–2017) is the most famous philosopher most people have never heard of. Widely regarded as one of the greatest moral thinkers of the past hundred years, Parfit was anything but a public intellectual. Yet his ideas have shaped the way philosophers think about things that affect us all: equality, altruism, what we owe to future generations, and even what it means to be a person. In Parfit, David Edmonds presents the first biography of an intriguing, obsessive, and eccentric genius.
The photo of the pond is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License; Attribution – Evelyn Simak.