The value of human life?

[Danpascooch]

All humans are worth about $20 and a PB&J

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Well to go along with capitalist fascists: Supply and demand. There are LOTS of people. So one life wouldn't be worth much.

There is going to be a lot of death in the coming decades so, I am sure at some point we are all going to get aquainted with it. You'll find out exactly how much your life is worth, exactly how much the lives of your friends and family are worth, how much the lives of those that may be threatening you are worth.

As oil production peaks, and global food prices sky rocket because of the lack of petrochemicals, millions, neigh billions will starve, famine FAR beyond biblical scale. Without the oil fueled "green revolution" there will be no way to feed all the people that have come into being. It will be a free for all.

What you are willing to do to save your life, your childrens' lives, your friends lives, will determine exactly how subjective that value is, and exactly how fucking stupid a question that is to ask.

 

[loc978]

I'm firmly of the stance that life holds no intrinsic value, human or otherwise. Our actions determine our worth. Does that mean I'd kill a handicapped person for not contributing to society? No. But that person's life would be a lower priority than one who was contributing in a survival situation.

As for my ability to take human life... yeah, I'm one of those. It's not hard for me (at the time, anyway... it still wakes me up at night, I am human). I've done it before, I may have to do it again. I really don't have a problem with that.

 

[Ampersand]

I realize a lot of people like to say that life is worthless....to sound cool or existential or whatever, but out of all the people I've known in my life there has never been a single one that could ever be replaced.

the lives of your friends and family might be priceless to you, but life of some guy across the world wouldn't bother you a dam bit, nor would your life or the lives of your friends and family matters to some one across the world. ( unless that person happens to have real value, like a doctor a scientist a exceptional artist and so on. )

Yeh that's where your wrong. Sure some people mean more to me then others but there's not a person on earth that I wouldn't take a bullet for. The death of someone you've never met is almost as tragic as the death of someone close to you because you didn't know them and will now never know them, and that's your loss.

 

[Jackhorse]

Also whether I know people is a big factor I'd fight to the death for my freinds but frankly don't give a toss when 80 people are killed in a bombing. I know I shouldn't but I do.

Its called the monkeysphere its actually pretty intresting, I think cracked did an article.

http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html

Oh good to know that everyone is a selective dick not just me. How does this explain homeless beggers though, surely your screwing yourself by giving them cash despite them being far outside your monkeysphere?

Might go and delete a few Facebook freinds secure in the knowledge that they don't care anymore about my inane pointless posts any more than I care about theirs.

 

[archvile93]

It depends entirely on the situation. The easier it is to stay alive, the more valuable a life is.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

That...is a very good question.

Let me share something. In my country, there are a lot of ciphers. Like, useless people who were born because the use of contraceptives is taboo in our culture. They are illiterate and never have a moment of philosophical thought in their life-time. And i realize that this makes me sound like an ENORMOUS prick. I do; but that is the truth. There will always be people who are born, then they do some stuff, then they die. and six hours after their death, their existence is forgotten. Their gravestones are the only places with their names on it, and no-one will ever.....care.

Are those peoples' lives worth more than a guy of the same age who.....i dunno, writes stories, draws art that means something to at least a few people or is working in a college study program? (I swear that None of those are me, btw. I'm not gonna be THAT big of a dick, to justify my own value) I would certainly say so. but then, that's my opinion. if my opinion paints me to be a heartless monster, then sure yeah I'm a heartless monster for saying that there are intrinsically worthless people in our world.

However I will say that No Human can ever judge any other human for their value. You can judge yourself, but you can never judge other individuals for their value. And before you call me a hypocrite, notice that I never called any individual a cipher. I just acknowledged that there ARE people like that. And that if they "disappear" no one will bat an eyelash for more than 20 seconds.

 

[Pandaman1911]

I have a very... loose view of human life, including my own. Someone dies? "Eh, there's seven billion more of you."

See that's the problem, there aren't.

It has been estimated that the brain of a three-year-old child has about 10^15 synapses (1 quadrillion, thous htis may be on the high side).

You think anything that complex isn't functionally unique? I don't, The likely hood is that every homosapien that has ever lived has had a unique brain and had to possibility to see the world as no one else has or ever will again.

Must be why i hate a lot of people for giving up and not trying to find out for them selves.

You're probably right. I just wish I could feel that way too.

 

[MikeOfThunder]

Just because someone would live longer does not mean that they would live a more meaningful life.

It's not as simple as how long someone has to live. Every life is valuable and should be saved for as long as possible.

 

[similar.squirrel]

The elderly have more knowledge and experience [for the most part]. The young are more dynamic and efficient, as well as innovators. There needs to be a certain balance. Doers and thinkers. Their value changes with the times. That's my 2 cents, anyway.

 

[Skarovich]

The price of a human? A pittance.
The price of living? Priceless.

 

[Bocaj2000]

I find that adults getting killed is more sad than if it were to happen to a child. Probably from an empathetical standpoint. For example, I cried at the end of Deer Hunter because of my connection with Nick. I assume that when I'm a father, a child's death will hold higher value because I'll see it as if mine did.

As for the value of human life- I believe that all life is special. It is a gift given to us for whatever reason and it should be treated preciously. The purpose of life is to be happy and if you're not, something is wrong.

 

[tofulove]

the true value of a persons life cant be none as a mortal, perhaps baby 7billion and 3 will cure cancer, maybe he'll be a serial killer. basically, your value is your contribution or future contribution to society, for example, farmers as a hole are the most important group of people in society, individually there some of the least valued. on the other end, society can exist with out doctors, but as individuals doctors are highly valuable.

for example a 50 year old scientist whos one of the leading researchers for the cure for cancer is more valuable than a 1000 babies. if i had to choice between him or a thousand babies of unknown potential dieing, i pick the babies. maybe one of those babies might do some thing worth while to even the value, or to surpass it, but id wager none of the babies would be as good as him, nor there sum value put to gether would be as high as his,

An interesting point to add to your dilemma is that if the scientist who was working on the cure did die, someone would find it. There's a sort of myth around that certain scientists are absolute geniuses who will think of something no-one ever could. This is completely untrue, those (while admitably still very exceptional) people are simply lucky to think of the right thing at the right time. I'm not saying anyone could discover a cure for cancer but one person is ultimately replaceable.

If the choice was mine I would save the babies.

maybe this doctor will cure it, it could take a hundred years for the right person in the right place at the right time to do what this doctor can do now, 100 years of untold deaths and suffering from cancer. maybe his colleges will do it just fine with out him, we don't know, all we know this doctor got the ability to cure cancer, the 1000 babies are unknown, but statistically less likely any of them would reach that mans ability, or close to it, and even as a hole are unlikely to be able to make up for his loss in society. a persons life is only a drop in the ocean, some people make bigger splashes.


-edit- look at albert einstein for example no one further the work newton did in tell albert arrived, the right man in the right place at the right time, no one but him was able to do it for 300 years, what if Albert died from the flue at 10 years old, our understanding of physics can still be in the newton era. we got a 50 year old man whos done a lot of good work so far, and a good chance of a lot more good work for society, of the 1000 unknown babies its very unlikely any of them would be as important to society as a hole as the 50 year old scientist is, let alone close.

if i had to choice albert dieing at the age of 10, or a million lives dead. id choice the million, unlikely any of them will contribute as much as albert did to society

Sorry but that's not how science works. Einstein was a genius, but by now someone else would have found his theory. Even more so in a field such as cancer were you have many teams across the world painstakingly finding new knowledge to help fight it. Also scientists never work alone nowadays so someone else could easily continue his or her work.

Think of what you would lose, 1000 beautiful infants, all the grief their family would be put though, for just a tiny delay in the march of science.

well to be blunt, the world is way to crowded, if you want to live in a world worth living in, kill 4 billion people, so i can give rats ass about a thousand more worthless mouths to feed. that 50 year old man happens to be a man of value. in those thousand babies, most of them are going to turn out as fuck tards never doing any thing in the life worth while. thats not life, thats cattle. in this over populated world, you might as well be cattle, unless your a truly gifted person who can not readily be replaced. sorry hun the life of 1000 life forms with the value of that of farm animals in society is not the worth the life of one man that made a difference to those cattle. and that is what we are in the big picture, lose your emotional attachment to the subject, most people in this world to YOU, are nameless faces who are only cogs in the large picture, if one of them dies, the machine will find a new one, unless that part is hard to find. this is about the value of life, most peoples lives have no value to society beyond taking the role of a small part of the function of society, sure the have place and fulfill a roll, but that roll can be done by the other 6+ billion people in this world. so in reality, most people have no value what so ever, unless its you and the people you care about.

 

[tofulove]

I realize a lot of people like to say that life is worthless....to sound cool or existential or whatever, but out of all the people I've known in my life there has never been a single one that could ever be replaced.

the lives of your friends and family might be priceless to you, but life of some guy across the world wouldn't bother you a dam bit, nor would your life or the lives of your friends and family matters to some one across the world. ( unless that person happens to have real value, like a doctor a scientist a exceptional artist and so on. )

Yeh that's where your wrong. Sure some people mean more to me then others but there's not a person on earth that I wouldn't take a bullet for. The death of someone you've never met is almost as tragic as the death of someone close to you because you didn't know them and will now never know them, and that's your loss.

if thats the case, your probably suicidally depressed, or trolling. id die for many people, some random bloke of the street isn't one of them, unless they happen to be a highly valued member of society that not ezly replaced or one of the people close to me in my monkey-sphere.

on a side note, would you take a bullet for some guy in africa who personally killed 20 children in a genocide

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Its great the unwashed masses are treated better these days but why that just has to carry over to multiple offense criminal scum I do not know...uhg humanity needs to mature more....

 

[Marik2]

Each human life is priceless. While some may have more to live for there is still a definite clinging that most have to their lives and this is for a reason. Its the most valuable thing we own.

Agreed, I dont understand the mentality of people who say "Life is worth crap, but I still enjoy living"

Oh the irony.

 

[Marik2]

I hope this thread, doesnt fall in a flamewar...

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I think this image sums it allllllll up....

 

[JoJo]

Sorry but that's not how science works. Einstein was a genius, but by now someone else would have found his theory. Even more so in a field such as cancer were you have many teams across the world painstakingly finding new knowledge to help fight it. Also scientists never work alone nowadays so someone else could easily continue his or her work.

Think of what you would lose, 1000 beautiful infants, all the grief their family would be put though, for just a tiny delay in the march of science.

well to be blunt, the world is way to crowded, if you want to live in a world worth living in, kill 4 billion people, so i can give rats ass about a thousand more worthless mouths to feed. that 50 year old man happens to be a man of value. in those thousand babies, most of them are going to turn out as fuck tards never doing any thing in the life worth while. thats not life, thats cattle. in this over populated world, you might as well be cattle, unless your a truly gifted person who can not readily be replaced. sorry hun the life of 1000 life forms with the value of that of farm animals in society is not the worth the life of one man that made a difference to those cattle. and that is what we are in the big picture, lose your emotional attachment to the subject, most people in this world to YOU, are nameless faces who are only cogs in the large picture, if one of them dies, the machine will find a new one, unless that part is hard to find. this is about the value of life, most peoples lives have no value to society beyond taking the role of a small part of the function of society, sure the have place and fulfill a roll, but that roll can be done by the other 6+ billion people in this world. so in reality, most people have no value what so ever, unless its you and the people you care about.

I feel sorry for you that you believe that. All humans are valuble in their own way, from the lowliest street child to the President of the U.S. Every person is unreplaceable and so any loss is tragic. May I suggest that you open your eyes to the people around you, then you might realise what the "cattle" truly are.