[quote]That's sentimental nonsense. There are many great things about emotions, but when they cloud judgement there is no doubt that they are undesirable. And in this scenario, they are clouding judgement.[/quote] No, they are not. You have an emotional attachment to your pet, and no attachment at all to the guy. If you can save him too, go ahead. If you can't, odds are you'll gravitate toward the one that has personal significance. It isn't wrong. It's human nature. [quote]I never said that. I said we need to disregard emotion and use logic when faced with ethical dilemmas.[/quote] It's also an emotional dilemma, though. The logical response would be to save the human, the emotional response would be to save the pet. In high-stress situations, people will reflexively go for the emotional response. It's instinctive. Again, human nature. [quote]Yes, people always try to justify their actions by saying "it's only human".[/quote] And you're trying to justify your opinion by saying 'it's only rational'. [quote]I don't find that acceptable at all.[/quote] You don't have to. [quote]We can acknowledge that certain human attributes are undesirable and make a conscious effort to overcome them.[/quote] Saving your beloved pet's life in place of a stranger's is not an undesirable attribute. You can only save one, odds are it'll be the one you actually care about.