Knowing that engineers overdesign by nature and also to cover their arse from litigation... I’d know that a lifeboat rated for ten people was actually designed to hold more weight than its rating will state... if it was made in the USA, where lawyers are abundant.
:-p
No doubt true, depending on the weather and size of the people, etc.
However, it remains a fact that for any small boat, at some point one additional passenger will sink it.
So at that point you really do have a choice between tossing one person overboard or preventing him/her from getting on board, or having everybody die.
IOW, is it better to lose one life or eleven?
I think it is a reasonable question to ask and a valid way of discussing ethical issues. Though I understand it is mostly used in schools and such to break down student’s parentally-taught “prejudices.”
Personally, I’d throw the whiny liberals overboard.