The “drowning child” thought experiment involves seeing a child drowning in a pond on your way to work. Most people would jump in the pond to save the child, not thinking twice about the laundry bill from getting their clothes dirty. And yet, the amount of dollars spent on the dry cleaning bill could be spent on saving a child from starvation in a... See more

Imagine you crossed by a shallow pond in which a kid was drowning. At that point in time, you are wearing your most expensive outfit (say, $5k). It is reasonable to affirm that most people in that situation would save the child from drowning, in spite of ruining their outfit, and it is clear that this would be the most ethical decision to make. We... See more

"The movement, known as E.A. to its practitioners, who themselves are known as E.A.s, takes as its premise that people ought to do good in the most clear-sighted, ambitious, and unsentimental way possible. Among other back-of-the-envelope estimates, E.A.s believe that a life in the developing world can be saved for about four thousand dollars.... See more