Philosophy essay

Written Assignment 1, Topic 3: The William Brown (Utilitarianism)

Deadline: Monday, January 21st, 10 PM (via Turnitin).

Length: I think it will take about 3 to 4 pages to make a complete, thorough, and convincing argument.

Works Cited: Please provide a Works Cited page (in addition to your essay of 3-4 pages)

Sources: Use at least three sources for the final draft of your response.

Just to refresh your memory of the basics, here is the story of the William Brown that I presented to you in class:

Sometime in the 1840s, the American ship William Brown left Liverpool, England, with about eighty passengers, mostly poor Scot and Irish immigrants. After hitting an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland, eighty passengers and crew attempted to load themselves into the two boats attached to the ship.  Of these, fifty survived. Many of those that sank with the ship were children.

The rescue effort did not go well either. In the nineteenth century, smaller boats were tied to the ship itself. In an emergency, they functioned as lifeboats. The William Brown had two—a longboat and a jolly boat.

The longboat could carry 42 passengers and was equipped to pass through high, powerful waves. The jolly boat, like others, was much smaller and held only eight. Unlike jolly boats on other ships, this one had sails, and the passengers aboard were soon rescued.

The longboat was not as lucky.  It was overloaded with passengers and leaking badly. Soon, the ship was on the verge of sinking. One of the sailors called to lighten the load. In response, two sailors, Alexander Holmes and another, forced twelve passengers off the side of the longboat—including two women who may have volunteered to join their husbands. The next day, two more men were thrown into the sea.

It should be noted that this is a very short summary of what happened. For this assignment, you will research the actual event involving Holmes, the crew, and the passengers, and then to answer three interrelated questions:

1. Given the actual historical record, determine whether you believe Holmes or other crew members were actually justified in throwing people off the boat.

2. Using utilitarian criteria from the textbook or class notes, who would you have decided to throw off the longboat? Again, it is important to use utilitarian criteria!

3. Finally, do you think Holmes’s eventual punishment was just? Too light or too heavy? Why?