TRC #736: Book Review: Death in a Shallow Pond by David Edmonds + The Decoy Effect
Summary
Hosts Darren McKee and Adam Gardner review David Edmonds’ book on Peter Singer’s “drowning child” thought experiment, exploring its role in the effective altruism movement. They discuss critiques regarding moral demandingness, aid dependency, and psychological burnout. The episode concludes with an explanation of the decoy effect in marketing, using movie theater pricing to illustrate how consumers are manipulated into buying larger items.
Topics discussed
Introduction to the show and guest Adam Gardner
Peter Singer's Drowning Child thought experiment
History of effective altruism and QALYs
Critique: Aid dependency and government responsibility
Critique: Structural injustice vs. charity
The demandingness objection and psychological burnout
Book review: Death in a Shallow Pond
The decoy effect in movie theater pricing
Decoy effect in fast food and digital goods
Paradox of choice and political candidates
How to avoid manipulation and anchoring bias
Outro and final thoughts
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