I would manage to save both.... (I can't do anything about your hypothetical question, as you can't do anything about mu hypothetical answer).

Baby

Cute but basic. It all depends on how much you let yer heart rule yer head.

How about killing the bastard threatening the baby and the pensioner

My mother has been gone a longtime. Hypothetically, if she were alive, I would choose my mother. The vast majority of children grow up to be adults I don't really like. I already like my mother.

This is a moral dilemma....! My mother is dead a long time now, but in any case I know this is all only a hypothesis. My answer would be dependent on the age of my mother at the time. If she was an old lady, I would definitely choose the baby. If she was a younger woman, I would probably choose my mother.

I find the comments below insightful; if you notice, a few people talk about saving the mom b/c family ties obviously, but the other most common reason is the baby could grow up and be another Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc. Those that save the baby either do it b/c that's what their mom would want, their mom is a POS, or the baby has the probability of a longer life ahead. What if the baby grew up and became another Ghandi, MLK, Galileo, Einstein, Helen Keller, Mandela, Churchill, Socrates, Amelia Earhart, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass. These people were human, and had faults of course, but I think we all agree they raised our collective consciousness, intelligence, and/or empathy toward others. I find it curious that we seem to default to a jaded - glass half empty mentality when evaluating the value of a person.

Just an observation....

If I had saved my Mother*, she would have murdered me for not saving the baby.

-* She died about 4 years back.

Not completely unrelated.... Many years ago on a family vacation. I got on a boat ride with wife and two little daughters. As the boat owner kept on sailing away from shore, water was getting rougher by the minute and then it dawned on me that neither my wife or daughters knew how to swim at the time. Just the thought that something unexpected could happen made me realize that likely I was not going to be able to save all three. Who do you pick?. I though..... I started to freak out, asking the boat owner to take us back to shore. Just the thought still hunts me today.

My mother is dead. Who is the 'stranger'?

My mother. Imagine if this same situation happened when that schmuck Hitler was born, or Mao, or Stalin?

I guess it depends on the situation. Like if you're running from an erupting valcano, the baby's gonna be easier to carry, you won't have to pay for your mom's end of life care, and you get the praise from your community for saving a baby. But if you're running from velociraptors, that baby's cry will give you away, and your mom can help you build barriers and traverse obstacles. You can also trip her to get away if you have to. I think I need more info before I can swing one way or the other.

This question took me a moment. But, selfishly, I have to say my mother. She has people depending on her (not just me). The baby, while sad, doesn't have much depending on it.

Depends on whose odds were the better choice for saving

Stranger's baby.
No hesitation whatsoever.

My mother would have killed me if I didn't save the baby.

My mother would have killed me if I didn't save the baby.

My mum.
That random baby has no significance in my life

Unless you created the situation that put either in harm's way, you have nothing to do with the loss of life. You are saving someone's life because you were able to and in many cases, putting yourself in a life-threatening situation to do so. That act is noble regardless of other events happening nearby. At that same moment thousands of people are dying across the globe, the one in close proximity is as much your fault as everyone else's, which is none.

My answer is that I'd save the baby, and then I'd do what I could to save my mother.

well that's a no brainer. I'd save the one I loved

My mum would never forgive me if I saved her over a baby.

Depends on some important issues. In some cases it would be my mother, in others it would be the baby.

I find the thought of saving either to be rather unpleasant. I'd just go grab a bite to eat and let Ma and the fecal factory deal with their problems on their own.

My Mom even if I have to toss the baby into the river... MY MOTHER. She Gave Me Life. End of the Bullshit!!!

What the fuck kind of question is this!? My mom would NEVER forgive me if I didn't pick her! My dad would probably get mad, too. Well, it's hard for her to get mad if she's dead, but I feel like she'd judge me negatively anyway.