At What Point, if Any, is One Life More Valuable than Another?

[Zerο]

A lot of the (on-topic :redface:) points are good ones, but most of you seem to be speaking from, in one's words,

a non-subjective point of view.

But I was actually asking about from a subjective point of view. Not necessarily what you believe in theory (because apparently most people believe more or less the same thing in regard to this), but how you assign different values to people in the ways you treat or think of them in practise. For example -- I've decided not to weigh in on this topic myself, at least for now, but -- I would say most people I know think in theory that all lives are of equal value, but if faced with a choice, would definitely let strangers suffer at the expense of their loved ones.

^ FoxEars ^

Subjectively speaking, the only lives I value are the ones that further my cause - environmentalism. Following that thought, if someone is a bigger asset to me in that field then I value their life above mine. Otherwise I'm generally indifferent towards human lives, unless they're problematic.

[ThaHoward]

Cynical,y speaking it is those who are the most healthy mentally and physically that are worth the most. Also the smarter ones and those who conform to society's norm. But thinking like that is dangerous - as history have shown us many times.

[AWF]

...

Another thing--there's no way for these answers to be non-subjective, whether or not that claim has been made. There's no agreed upon scale of measurement here. Value is not observable--we construct and assign it. Morality is not observable. It's a normative question....

I would say this has b'en said many times throughout this thread, just not so summarily.

When I say it would be boring, I mean that there'd be very little variation in honest opinions. I haven't once read here anyone specifically say that they don't believe in self-defense. Whether or not that extends to other things/people in your life that you value would be an interesting question, actually, and perhaps that's what Fox was trying to ask in part.

Inflection is a very useful tool to the self, but I don't see what good beliefs are if you don't try to represent them. People don't seem to like it when you're overly pragmatic, eh?

[LaMaestra]

The lives of murderers (unless done in self defence or euthanasia) and rapists are worth less than the average person's due to their crime. Also those of so called 'upper class' people because they just swan around as though they own the universe and lord it over the hardworking masses, contributing nothing useful to society.

[Aqua Blue]

This topic reminds me of something my mom said to me when I was a teen. "This day in my life is just as important to me as this day in your life is to you..." I can't imagine why she would have needed to say that! :)

[Bad_Mr_Tree]

Such an easy question...

just look at their income!

:P

[ I kid, I joke, I make the funny ]

[AWF]

Such an easy question...

just look at their income!

:P

[ I kid, I joke, I make the funny ]

I've b'en told that there used to be someone in my workplace that actually thought this way! That your salary actually exonerates you is something I think most of us would take issue with. To them it probably made perfect sense...