Death in a Shallow Pond

“A New Yorker Best Book of the Year”“A FiveBooks Best Philosophy Book of the Year”“Finalist for the PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers”“

Entertaining, even riveting. Edmonds is a lucid and engaging explicator of knotty philosophical tangles, and he brings the milieu he treats to life.

”—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post”[Edmonds] transforms moral inquiry into a high-stakes adventure.” * New Yorker *“

The Shallow Pond has become the most influential fictional body of water since John Bunyan’s Slough of Despond… . [Edmonds] follows its ripples all the way out.

”—Dan Piepenbring, Harper’s“Full of deft, disarming details… . Edmonds has written the rare philosophical book that leaves the reader both clearer-headed and more honestly conflicted.”—Nikhil Krishnan, Foreign Policy”[Edmonds] does a good job of explaining why the shallow pond cannot simply be dismissed. If it makes us uncomfortable – if we want to believe we are good people, yet continue to enjoy some luxuries rather than donate every spare penny to charity – the onus is us to explain why Singer is wrong. This is a debate with high stakes.”—Alex Dean, Times Literary Supplement“An insightful assessment of the Shallow Pond thought experiment and the effective altruism movement it influenced… . [Edmonds’] analyses provide fascinating commentary on the ironies of a world in which extreme wealth coexists with poverty, famine, and preventable death. This is sure to spark debate.” * Publishers Weekly *“Edmonds…presents a powerful moral challenge which should not be ducked.”—Julian Baggini, Literary Review“Skillfully written… . Edmonds has convinced me that we should not ignore Singer’s original provocation.”—Ben Wurgaft, Chronicle of Higher Education