How to evaluate the value of one life?

2016-06-08T14:18:59Z

The shooting of the gorilla in Cleveland a week ago generated a lot of discussion. I wonder how much of that discussion is about measuring the value of one human life against something else.

I think of scenes in the movie The Monuments Men. Allied soldiers put their lives in danger for art. Some officers question the value. One guy is assigned to protect the only Michelangelo statue outside of Italy to keep it from being looted by Nazis.

Finite value?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/

2016-06-09T13:02:43Z

Thanks for the discussion so far.

The problem of using infinite value is the loss of the irreplaceable. That can be infinite medical costs gradually taking more and more of the economy. That can be killing endangered species because they got in the way.

The problem of using finite value is drawing the line ends up resigning people to die who would have otherwise lived.

I struggle with the two examples I listed. Endangered species. Art so good some chose to give the their life to safe it.

Sqdancefan2016-06-08T14:44:42Z

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The value varies depending on the context, and it tends to change over time.

For example, the cost of a flood control project is weighed against the value of life and property saved as a result of the project. We don't build a 20 billion dollar project to save one life. (And we don't halt such a project if someone is killed on the job of constructing it.)

A medical insurance policy will often specify a lifetime maximum for certain kinds of insurance payments. You might consider that figure to be the one the company puts on the value of a life.

The disease management industry in the US is one of the leading causes of death, yet relatively little money is spent on reducing the death rate due to medical mistakes. Consequently, you could say the medical profession tends to put a low value on a life.

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Doug Freyburger2016-06-08T14:21:37Z

In the case of the gorilla we have a member of an endangered species - Added value. Who is closely related to humanity - Added value.

On the other hand it was a child - Added value. Who did not know he was putting himself in danger - Reduced blame.

Claiming infinite value leads to all sorts of problems, but so does claiming finite value.

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zane2016-06-08T14:17:47Z

It has infinite value. Plain and simple. Human lives are the most valuable thing in the universe.
The real hard question comes when you must take one to save one.

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Anonymous2016-06-08T14:32:41Z

Live it to its completion!

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