Assuming that there are only eleven people left on Earth and four must be chosen based on their survivability, mental and physical fitness and their ability to contribute to the survival of the human species these four people should survive: Mary Evans, Mrs. Garcia, Mrs. Clarke, and Mr. Newton. In order to best ensure the survivability of the human species, we need a combination of people that will help maximize the group’s survival potential. Females are more important than males in the survival of the human species because, in order to bear new members of the species, females must bear them for a long period of time whereas in case of males, one man can impregnate many females in a short amount of time, a scarcity of females would therefore be the biggest bottleneck to human population growth (Sigmund, p. 135). Therefore among the four survivors, here should be three females and only one male, since having more than one male would be superfluous. The people selected should be mentally and physically fit and have the inclination and the ability to bear children. The people selected should not be too old, especially the women, since women’s fertility declines sharply with age, whereas men remain virile to a much greater age. In addition, the people selected should have the ability to get along with one another since internal cohesion of a group increases their chance of survival (Khalil and Boulding, p. 172). Any useful skills and knowledge the survivors bring to the group would be an added plus.
Mary Evans should be one of the people chosen to survive because she is an 18 year old female. The fertility of women is at its peak in the late teens and the early twenties, therefore in terms of reproduction; it is reasonable to suppose that Mary Evans is in her prime and will remain in her prime for a few more years. Being the youngest female with child bearing ability, Mary Evans is my first choice. Mary Evans wears glasses, it is reasonable to assume that she is myopic, myopia being the commonest reason for young people having to wear glasses. Myopia is not a debilitating disease and is also correlated with intelligence, which bodes well for Mary Evan’s intelligence and that of her future offspring (Brody, p. 220). In contrast to Mary Evans, Dr. Dane is an old man, Mrs. Dane is female but old and unhealthy and Mr. and Mrs. Dane also bore a mentally retarded child, which raises doubts about the quality of their genes. Bobby Dane is male and mentally retarded. Mr. Newton, Mr. Blake and Father Frans are males; Dr. Gonzales is too old, regardless of whether he or she is a male or a female. Mrs. Garcia and Mrs. Clark are both older than Mary Evans and are thus they are probably much closer to the end of their child-bearing days. At the age of three months, Jean Garcia is too young to procreate (Mcfaul, p. 363).
My second choice for a survivor is Mrs. Garcia. Mrs. Garcia is twenty-three from which it is reasonable to assume that she has the capability to bear children. Her willingness to violate social boundaries by engaging in prostitution bodes well for her survivability in a post-apocalyptical scenario. Having been a prostitute, it is reasonable to assume that she has little sexual jealousy which may be useful in maintaining social cohesion of the group. Her work as cocktail waitress indicates that she is able to perform manual labor under direction and in conditions of stress, which may serve the group well in the future. In contrast with Mrs. Garcia Dr. Dane, Bobby Dane, Mr. Newton, Mr. Blake and Father Frans are all male and Dr. Gonzales is too old, regardless of gender. Mrs. Dane is thirty-eight and past her prime in terms of reproduction. Mrs. Clark is older and thus probably nearer to the end of her child bearing days. Three month old Jean Garcia is too young to procreate (Mcfaul, p. 363).
My third choice for a survivor is Mrs. Clarke. At 28 it is reasonable to suppose that Mrs. Clarke would still be able to procreate, despite her fertility being in decline. Being a college graduate and an electronics engineer, she may bring useful skills and knowledge to the group. Her membership in Zero population Growth ought not to be an impediment to her bearing many offspring, being an educated woman, it is reasonable to suppose that Mrs. Clarke would abandon her Zero Population Growth ideals once overpopulation has ceased being an imminent threat to the planet. In contrast with Mrs. Clarke Dr. Dane, Bobby Dane, Mr. Newton, Mr. Blake and Father Frans are all male. Dr. Gonzales is too old to be considered for the group. Mrs. Dane is thirty-eight and much closer to menopause and little Jean Garcia is too young to procreate (Mcfaul, p. 363).
My forth choice for the survivor and the sole male of the group is Mr. Newton. Mr. Newton is young and probably healthy as evidenced by his concern for maintaining his physical fitness. Being in the last year of medical school, Mr. Newton is likely to bring a good deal of useful medical knowledge to the group. His being “suspected of homosexual activity” implies that he is overtly heterosexual but may or may not clandestinely engage in homosexual behavior; as such it is reasonable to suppose that his alleged clandestine homosexual proclivities should not prevent him from impregnating the females. Mr. Newton is younger than Dr. Dane, Mr. Blake, Father Frans and Dr. Gonzales. He is not mentally retarded like Bobby Dane. Mr. Newton’s black power advocacy ought not to bring him into conflict with the other survivors, since they too are members of minority ethnicities (Mcfaul, p. 363).
Those not chosen to survive are Dr. Dane, Mr. Blake, Father Frans, Dr. Gonzales, Mrs. Dane, Bobby Dane and Jean Garcia. Dr. Dane, Mr. Blake, Father Frans, Dr. Gonzales are all likely to be less fertile than Mr. Newton, being older than him. Dr. Dane was additionally not selected as the solitary male of the group because he fathered Bobby Dane who is mentally retarded. Mr. Blake was additionally not selected as the solitary male of the group because he would probably not get along with the two Black females of the group. Bobby Dane is mentally retarded and thus unsuitable for being the solitary male of the group. Mrs. Dane is past her prime child-bearing days, moreover she is obese and suffers from diabetes, which is why she was not chosen to be one of the surviving females and Jean Garcia is too young to procreate (Mcfaul, p. 363).
Works Cited
- Brody, Nathan. Intelligence. Boston: Gulf Professional Publishing, 1992.
- Khalil, Elias L. and Kenneth Ewart Boulding. Evolution, order, and complexity. London: Routledge, 1996.
- Mcfaul, Jason. Critical Thinking – A Shepherd’s Guide To Tending Sheep. Atlanta: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2008.
- Sigmund, Karl. Games of life: Explorations in Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.