[notfarnow]

So this year I decided to work away at finishing my university degree by taking courses part time. At first, I was going to take ourses relevant to my job, but then my employer reneged on a commitment to reimburse some of the costs. So, I decided to take whatever the hell I wanted. I'm currently taking a summer course: Philosophy 2003 Moral, Social and Political Philosophy. I need some electives, and I thought this would be a good distraction for the summer.

Anyway, for the final essay, I've chosen the following topic. I would be very interested to read what you wise folks think:

A ship with a crew of seventeen and sixty-five passengers struck an iceberg, and began to sink rapidly. About twice as many crew and passengers got into the lifeboat than it was designed to hold. The remaining passengers were forced to stay with the sinking ship and soon perished. The life-boat was presumed to be in good condition, but had a small leak. That night a heavy rain fell and despite desperate bailing the whole boat was at great risk of sinking. Assuming a mix of young and old persons of various ages, weights, mental capacities and dispositions what procedure, if any, should be followed to preserve life.