Why do YOU think a human life is valuable?

[Coranico]

After reading some of the responses to another thread (Poll: Who would you rather let die, your pet or me?) i was noticing that a kot of people on this site believe that a human life is more valuable than an animal's, i understand that and partially agree with it. However, i feel that most people's reasoning for that is the fact that we as humans are are the most intelligent known organism on our planet and are the dominant species.

But let's just say that tomorrow we make first contact with a new alien race, vastly more intelligent, advanced and peaceful than humans. If this were the case then the previoisly stated justification would mean that the life of one of these aliens should be considered more valuable than a human's. But how many people would still value a human life over one of the Aliens, i'm expecting it would be most people, myself probably included

So why do we hold human life in higher importance than the life of other species.

Discuss


(For clarification, i'm not saying these are views held by everyone but a from majority of what i have experienced.)

 

[moretimethansense]

Because humans are selfish, they believe their own lives to be worth more than other species therefore other humans live must be as well.
Most humans wouldn't kill themselves to save another, hell many humans would kill someone if they were an inconveience, it's their own lives they value, they act like human life is important because they want to believe their's is important.

 

[theamazingbean]

Magical thinking and selfishness mostly.

 

[theNater]

Placing a high value on human life is a survival trait. Because humans are social animals, any view we hold individually is likely to become shared. By valuing human life, we encourage other humans to do the same.

This reduces the chance that we'll die to human action, and increases the chance that we'll be aided by other humans in life-threatening situations.

 

[Tynermeister]

Because humans are selfish, they believe their own lives to be worth more than other species therefore other humans live must be as well.
Most humans wouldn't kill themselves to save another, hell many humans would kill someone if they were an inconveience, it's their own lives they value, they act like human life is important because they want to believe their's is important.

It's not selfishness (mostly), it's survival. Evolution has made sure that only things with strong survival instincts live.

You think humans are the only creatures capable of selfishness and asshole behaviour?

Elephants swing lizards around by the tail before smashing them to bits. For fun.
Ants practice slavery.
Ducks rape.

You look at each of these and think "well that's just how they've adapted to survive". What makes us any different?

(not meaning to sound like a rant. sry.)

 

[Coranico]

Being on here to ask the question on human life also shows that you're questnioning your own life, wanting to observe how people take that question. I'm like that to so no worries, it isn't a bad thing but helps my point .

Not questioning my own life so much as i'm trying to get other people's views but i can see why you might think that. I'm content with my life, i know i'm not above everyone else and i'd definately save a human over a super alien, i'm just trying to see what people think the real reasoning for it is.

 

[moretimethansense]

Because humans are selfish, they believe their own lives to be worth more than other species therefore other humans live must be as well.
Most humans wouldn't kill themselves to save another, hell many humans would kill someone if they were an inconveience, it's their own lives they value, they act like human life is important because they want to believe their's is important.

It's not selfishness (mostly), it's survival. Evolution has made sure that only things with strong survival instincts live.

You think humans are the only creatures capable of selfishness and asshole behaviour?

Elephants swing lizards around by the tail before smashing them to bits. For fun.
Ants practice slavery.
Ducks rape.

You look at each of these and think "well that's just how they've adapted to survive". What makes us any different?

(not meaning to sound like a rant. sry.)

Just because it's a survival instinct doesn't stop it being selfishness, I also never claimed we were the only species capable of being pure dicks, but you've got to admit as of yet we are the only species that tries to justify it's behavior.

Also on tyhe ants thing... you sure?
Cause I don't think worker ants count, it's more like feudalism or making biological robots to do your work for you.
Or do they actually preform something that would equate to slavery?

 

[Angerwing]

Because every single person has equivalent emotions, experiences, thoughts, hopes and dreams to myself. I am the single most important person in my life, obviously, so considering that every other person is just as important to themselves as I am to myself?

Most young people fail to realise that everybody feels things and has emotions just as vividly as they do.

 

[HapexIndustries]

The most important thing about humans, and the thing that (arguably) makes us more important than animals is that we are capable of contemplating our perceptions, observing the universe with a subjective bias that inherently alters reality around us.

I am talking about Observer effect: that the act of observing alters the structure of reality. There is a famous thought experiment known as Schrodinger's Cat that typifies this: a cat is in a box with poison that is attached to a random number generator. There is a random chance that the cat will be killed at any second. However, because of quantum physics, the cat is in a probability flux between alive and dead; until the box is opened, the cat is in both states. Observation determines the universe.

Humans observe in a way different from other lifeforms and, I believe because of this, have a profound effect upon all reality. We see this all the time, most notably in things like the totally unexplained placebo effect or the "power of prayer" curing cancer, but I think it is simply a biased observation, biased the way we want it to be. I experience this in my own life on a nearly constant basis.

I believe that the observer effect, coupled with a "many worlds" theory of the universe (namely, that every sentient, biasly observing entity is creating it's own reality and effecting that reality in a very real way across an infinite spectrum of probabilities and variations) makes humans important. Or, to be an utter solipsist for a moment, makes ME important. You're all on your own.

So this theory of reality only really places any value on my own existence, which is the only one I can be absolutely sure is a free-willed, reality-defining consciousness. The reason I don't go out and slaughter my enemies and manipulate everyone around me is that humans are capable of love, real love, more than crude biological bonding or advantageous codependency. We can act in an utterly selfless way, we can help those that have hurt us, we can forgive without recompense, we can deliberately rise above our instincts and our socialization, and that is my goal in life; hurting others would only hurt myself in the long run. Some may argue that animals are capable of these things as well but I have my doubts; maybe dolphins and monkeys, but I think it is very rare and highly dependent on evolved brain functions and a concept of self.

We are also capable of art, of sharing emotional evocations with utter strangers through multiple mediums (this rambling post, for instance), for good or for ill. This is also amazing.

At the same time, I might kill all of you with my bare hands for a sufficient reward... but in general I wish only the best for humanity, that we will rise above our petty conflicts and become more than what we are now. Until then I'll just keep observing things the way I want to, I guess.

The value of a human life is not in the life itself, but in the positive act of valuing it.

 

[ryo02]

I think there are some people in this world that we may be better off if they werent in the gene pool.

the human race should really only be a few million strong a billion at the most.

 

[GroovyV]

Because KINGDOM HEARTS.

No wait. What i mean is, Human life is an important valuable asset because no one knows just who is going to do something stupendously worthwhile. The douche kid next door may grow up to be the one that helps discover a new step in fighting AIDS, or someone you've never met, and no doubt will never see again, can put into motion events that can affect your life for the better. (Domino effect/butterfly effect whatever)
It's true that all life should be valued. SHOULD be. But not all life is truly worth valuing. There have been hundreds of thousands of people whose existences were wasted and served no purpose to better the lives of anyone around them. However, we can never truly judge who's life is more valuable because we'll never know the entire far reaching stretch of consequences (good/bad) that their actions will have.

 

[WayOutThere]

I'm logically obligated to consider human life valuable because I consider my life valuable. I consider my life valuable because I'm conscious and therefore able to feel suffering and happiness and wish for happiness rather than suffering. Crucially, the desire for happiness rather than suffering is shared by all humans so by identifying reaching the latter as important in myself I identify reaching it as valuable in everyone else.*

For this reason a human's life is more valuable than an animal?s because we have more consciousness and therefore a greater capacity for suffering and happiness. Further, if it is possible to be more conscious and aliens who are more conscious are discovered, their lives will hold more value. It doesn't matter if we would continue to value a humans life over that of such an alien, it won't change the fact that they are more valuable than we are.

Also, I don't think people would have such a problem identifying an alien's life as at least as valuable as a humans.

* Tell me if this all doesn't make sense. I've got the feeling my mind isn't working the best right now.

 

[Tynermeister]

Because humans are selfish, they believe their own lives to be worth more than other species therefore other humans live must be as well.
Most humans wouldn't kill themselves to save another, hell many humans would kill someone if they were an inconveience, it's their own lives they value, they act like human life is important because they want to believe their's is important.

It's not selfishness (mostly), it's survival. Evolution has made sure that only things with strong survival instincts live.

You think humans are the only creatures capable of selfishness and asshole behaviour?

Elephants swing lizards around by the tail before smashing them to bits. For fun.
Ants practice slavery.
Ducks rape.

You look at each of these and think "well that's just how they've adapted to survive". What makes us any different?

(not meaning to sound like a rant. sry.)

Just because it's a survival instinct doesn't stop it being selfishness, I also never claimed we were the only species capable of being pure dicks, but you've got to admit as of yet we are the only species that tries to justify it's behavior.

Also on tyhe ants thing... you sure?
Cause I don't think worker ants count, it's more like feudalism or making biological robots to do your work for you.
Or do they actually preform something that would equate to slavery?

http://hubpages.com/hub/Intelligent_Ants

That's my source, anyway. According to this they do wage war, capture ants from other colonies, and kill ones who refuse to work. Actually looking at that article again, it's like looking at a mini human society.

"we are the only species that tries to justify it's behaviour." Yes, thats a good point.

Maybe if we ever find other sentient intelligent whatever the word is, life forms, we'll be a lot more capable of seeing what we really are. District 9 - style.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Human life is not valuable. There are 6+ billion of the fuckers running around. And unlike pretty much all other animals, everything we do damages the planet. We pollute and waste resources. We destroy our environment. Even the greenest tree hugging hippy is going to have a huge carbon footprint. Then we over populate and make things even worse.

All animals affect the world around them, whether or not it could be called "damage" is a value judgement. If it wasn't for early plant-like creatures pumping out all that oxygen, we wouldn't have had early animal-like creatures swarming in the seas trying to eat them.

Humans are merely more successful at it.

 

[Soviet Steve]

It takes large quantities of resources for human life to exist and as we are the only species working towards colonization of other planets, so therefore it makes sense to put human life above those of animals.

 

[Myiven]

I really don't care about you or any other person, but I am more likely to survive if the majority of you are willing to help me survive. You are more likely to help me survive if I help you survive.

In order to keep myself alive, I am willing to support other people, and therefore it creates the appearance that I actually care about you all.

If half the people on the planet who I don't actually know suddenly died without directly affecting me, I'd only worry if I was next. I wouldn't actually care about them.


I have no ill will towards anyone, but I also don't care about them. I'm neutral towards you all. I don't *care* if you die, but don't actually *want* you to die.

 

[megaraccoon]

i'm a hunter, i regularly go out hunting elk, fox's, wolves ect you get the idea and due to these activities i've come to the conclusion that life, human or otherwise, has no value if i could be dead from a wolf tearing out my throut then metaphysically speaking im no longer human but instead a rebbit were as if i gun down a wolf he becomes the rabbit and im the wolf, so you see life has no value all that matters is what side of the sword of damocles we call life your on.

 

[Wade-DeadPool]

There are soo many thing we have to think about if we are relly going to put a price on a humans life. What they do, what the give back to they sociaty are just two things we have to think about. Is the lawyer worth more then a drug addict that steals things in the night?
Yes, but the lawyer might also have some dark secrets that would change his/her social status in a heartbeat. You can sit and talk about this for hours and hours and still only taken one step of a thousand steps.