Moral kicks beside the pond

On your way to work, you pass a small pond. On hot days, children sometimes play in the pond, which is only about knee deep. The weather’s cool today, though, and it’s early in the morning, so you are surprised to see a child splashing about in the pond. As you get closer you see that it is a very young child, just a toddler, who is flailing about, unable to stay upright or walk out of the pond ... If you don’t wade in and pull him out, he seems likely to drown. Wading in is easy and safe, but you will ruin the new shoes you bought only a few days ago, and get your suit wet and muddy ... What should you do?

Peter Singer first told this story in the early 1970s. Then, as now, the consistent response of listeners to Singer’s question is: well, obviously, one saves the child! What is a pair of shoes, or even a new suit, compared to the life of child. Anyone who placed footwear or fashion above the moral demand of a life in danger should surely be the subject of the most severe moral censure.