Philosophical Dilemma.

[hopi watcher]

Ah well, In for a penny.....
My reaction would be to save the ibex.
Is one person out of 6 billion [and growing] too high a price to pay for
the survival of a [COLOR="Black"]whole[/COLOR] species
Do we save the son of a b.... just because he is [COLOR="black"]our[/COLOR] son of a b....
Is anti chauvinism allowed across species.

But is it not clear that the ibex had been selected for extinction?

[evercloserunion]

But is it not clear that the ibex had been selected for extinction?

So had the idiot who got himself stuck in quicksand?

[Kev408]

I'd save the horny goat and let the ibex die.

[imokyrok]

I've seen another variation of this whereby you have to chose between saving your beloved dog and a nasty malicious neighbour from drowning in a river.

[Bobert]

I've seen another variation of this whereby you have to chose between saving your beloved dog and a nasty malicious neighbour from drowning in a river.

AH! Well if it was my dog I would quite happily save him but only because my dog is awesome.

[Christel]

Sounds like you have a bit too much time on your hands.

You rescue the animal and tell the human to float and how to get out by hanging on to the animal. That way you rescue the animal and the animal rescues the human.

Regards...jmcc

That's what I was thinking of as well; if you have an hour time, to find a solution how to rescue both.

Knowing now what the walia ibex is, couldn't the horns for example be used in some way to drag out another animal of the quicksand?

Have no experience of quicksand, though.

[evercloserunion]

That's what I was thinking of as well; if you have an hour time, to find a solution how to rescue both.

Knowing now what the walia ibex is, couldn't the horns for example be used in some way to drag out another animal of the quicksand?

Have no experience of quicksand, though.

Are you guys just having a laugh or do you fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of the question?

[Christel]

Are you guys just having a laugh or do you fundamentally misunderstand the purpose of the question?

If the question is not related to the situation described, but is just

"Who would you attempt to save if you had to chose: the last exemplar of an animal species other than human, or one individual human being," then why not just ask this question?

[evercloserunion]

If the question is not related to the situation described, but is just

"Who would you attempt to save if you had to chose: the last exemplar of an animal species other than human, or one individual human being," then why not just ask this question?

That is precisely what is asked, if you read the whole OP and not just part of it.

you can only rescue one or the other of then, but not both

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Having spent more time than I should on other threads recently reading about objective an subjective morality I would like to pose the following philosophical dilemma:

You are a world famous zoologist and explorer and through circumstances too complicated to go into here, you find yourself somewhere in north Africa, rescuing a very rare species of animal.

It is the last surviving male Walia ibex and your mission is to bring it safely to the San Diego zoo to hopefully mate with the only other known female of the species.

Your assistant on the trip is a man you do not have much respect for. He was forced on you through events beyond your control and you wish you had never met him.

He is untrustworthy and cruel and an altogether unpleasant member of the human race.

Anyway,a situation develops whereby this man becomes trapped in quick sand [a la Laurence of Arabia] and the ibex falls into the same trap.

You, standing on the edge of the quick sand suddenly realize you can only rescue one or the other of then, but not both.

You have only one hour to make up your mind and being incommunicado with the rest of civilization can not ask for outside help or guidance.

Answers on a postcard please.

I'd spend that hour trying to save both and not on deciding which is more valuable..

If both were to die.. ah well.. at least i tried