Brittany's Island Poll

My friend Brittany is working on a philosophy question and wants some input so I thought I would help her out, get some more responses and post her question here as well. So here is her question, please give her your input and feel free to comment on this entry with thoughts or questions and I will have her look at them, thanks!

I want EVERYONE to comment on this accordingly...even if I don't know who you are...if you are reading this, I want to know what you think...

Ok, I am doing some unofficial research/polling on common sense conceptions of moral duty (to help me prove a point). Please read the following situation and answer according to your intuition.

You are sailing a boat across the ocean and learn that there are two nearby islands on which there are people that face certain death without rescue. You are equally far away from each island and in a position to sail to one or the other in time to save its residents...but you may only choose one. The residents of the island you DO NOT go to will die.

For the sake of argument, imagine that sailing to either island will require minimal, but EQUAL, sacrifice on your part (the only thing you stand to lose is your personal time and energy...you are not making any real sacrifice). You are the only person that is capable of making it to either island to save anyone in time. You have no attachment to(personal friendship, past history, acquaintance, etc.) or knowledge of (potential, character-type, career, family, etc.) any of the residents of either island other than the fact that they are fellow human beings. The only difference between the two is that on island A there are 5 residents and on island B there is 1 resident. So, by sailing to island A you can (and will) rescue 5 people and by sailing to island B you can (and will) rescue 1 person.

Assuming we all recognize that you have some moral obligation to save ANYONE rather than NO ONE (since you are the only one capable and are in a position to easily do so) you only have two options (simply sailing away from both islands is not a morally valid option here):

1) Sail to island A, thereby saving 5 people

or

2) Sail to island B, thereby saving 1 person

Now, do you feel that you are MORALLY OBLIGATED to choose one island over the other (and why) or that you are equally obligated to both and, all other things being the same, would be morally justified in flipping a coin to choose between the two (and why).


*Note* I do not want you to tell me which option you WOULD choose in real life, but rather what your moral intuitions tell you that you would be morally obligated to do.

[Poll #713178]