I would rather pay $8,000 a year than be a vegetarian. Consequently, if my donating $8,000 to a charity would do more good for the rest of the world than my becoming a vegetarian would, it’s socially inefficient for me to become a vegetarian.
You can make a precommitment to do only one or the other, but if you become vegetarian you don’t actually lose the $8,000 and become unable to give it to MIRI. In this sense it is not a true tradeoff unless happiness and income are easily interconvertible for you.
I would rather pay $8,000 a year than be a vegetarian. Consequently, if my donating $8,000 to a charity would do more good for the rest of the world than my becoming a vegetarian would, it’s socially inefficient for me to become a vegetarian.
You can make a precommitment to do only one or the other, but if you become vegetarian you don’t actually lose the $8,000 and become unable to give it to MIRI. In this sense it is not a true tradeoff unless happiness and income are easily interconvertible for you.
I have a limited desire to incur costs to help sentients who are neither my friends nor family. This limited desire creates a “true tradeoff”.