[Debate] Value of Human Life

Now before we start this debate, I would like to make the point to say that everything has value. We can all pretend that it is "Impossible to put value on human life", but it is done every day around us. Whether it be insurance agencies, politicians, manufacturers, or murders, everyone puts value on human life, so why can we not do the same?

Now let us make the ground rules. Just to make this as impersonal and apathetic as possible, "Human Life" will be defined as an ordinary individual that has no effect on your being, no ties to your person, and lives a relatively "normal" life. Joe Shmow or Jane Crow if you will.

What dollar amount is his/ her life worth to you?
Does the value change depending on age? 20? 40? 70? 90?
What about health, is a sickly person worth more or is usefulness the key?
If immortality were possible, what would be its value?
What is your life worth to you?

Answer any, all, or none of these questions; I simply left them to start some discussion. Let it rack your brain a bit, because in a society woven together so tightly, we all effect each others lives.

Extra:
Interesting values by recent studies.

Spoiler!

$130,000 (per year) - The Value of a Human Life: $129,000 - TIME
$500,000 - Pentagon to Raise Death Benefits (washingtonpost.com)
$500,000 (for organs) - Here's How Much Body Parts Cost on the Black Market
$9,000,000 - As U.S. Agencies Put More Value on a Life, Businesses Fret

Oh god no, don't start this..

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Originally Posted by King Haze

Oh god no, don't start this..

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It's already begun.

$500,000 for Organs?
Where is diz black market, I'll personally shank my own kidney out with a rusty knife.

Existential Nihilism

nuff said 0k

had to do an essay 0n it 0nce g_G

I think it's impossible to value human lives, simply because we don't need to be valued. We aren't meant to be worth anything but a human live.

0$
That's what I think a life of a person is worth, including mine.


Living is about survival, the economics are there so we all can survive.

If you can't defend your self and you die, you failed.

0$

I don't think humans even deserve to have value, All we do is "Wasting air" not to mention how we ruined the air by creating factory's and all these other thing's, There isn't one thing that's good for the humans. Because everything that's on the world as we know it now, Is made by humans, And we all know that whatever the humans create is bad for us all.

tree fitty

If I were to put a value on someone, I'd base it depending his influence towards the world as a whole, economically or even environmentally. And the change in value due to age will completely depend on his "influence". So if a philosopher ages, he/she value won't decrease, it might actually increase due to experience. However, a soldier (for example) will be worth the most during his prime, around 20-30(?), assuming he is a "normal" person, and doesn't achieve something significant and become useful for his experience.

Sickly people would normally be worth less, as they are less useful, however in some rare cases, if the person has a rare disease or an incurable disease and allows experiments on him, his usefulness increases.

If immortality was possible, and assuming you meant by EVERYONE being immortal, then generally, most people's value will increase, as they are able to contribute to society more, on the other hand, everyone's value may not increase as value can be considered a ratio. It may not be criteria-based, but depending on your usefulness compared to others.

As for the value of my life... I honestly can't answer that, I may be biased so I think it's up to others to decide. But I'll thinking about it and answer later :d

about once or twice every month i engage in public debates with those whose pressing need it is to woo and to win the approval of supernatural beings. very often, when i give my view that there is no supernatural dimension, and certainly not one that is only or especially available to the faithful, and that the natural world is wonderful enough—and even miraculous enough if you insist—i attract pitying looks and anxious questions. how, in that case, i am asked, do i find meaning and purpose in life? how does a mere and gross materialist, with no expectation of a life to come, decide what, if anything, is worth caring about?

depending on my mood, i sometimes but not always refrain from pointing out what a breathtakingly insulting and patronizing question this is. just as the answer to the latter question is: self-respect and the desire for the respect of others—while in the meantime it is precisely those who think they have divine permission who are truly capable of any atrocity—so the answer to the first question falls into two parts. a life that partakes even a little of friendship, love, irony, humor, parenthood, literature, and music, and the chance to take part in battles for the liberation of others cannot be called 'meaningless' except if the person living it is also an existentialist and elects to call it so. it could be that all existence is a pointless joke, but it is not in fact possible to live one's everyday life as if this were so. whereas if one sought to define meaninglessness and futility, the idea that a human life should be expended in the guilty, fearful, self-obsessed propitiation of supernatural nonentities… but there, there. enough.

every human life involves an unfathomable mystery, for man is the riddle of the universe, and the riddle of man in his endowment with personal capacities

tl;dr: idk like $16mil thai baht or someth lOL

Life is an anomaly. Something that is alive being created by anything that cannot be classified as living is just impossible. From the tiniest cell to whatever organism exist that you wish to use it's very existence is an impossibility. In science and in religion there is no clear answer of how life came to be. But with the life that exist now, every human being/animals/plants/etc there are cells these cells hold the key every last bit of life on this planet. In a human beings case each of these cells are used to improve each and everyone of us. Whether it's from using diseases to create vaccines and using plants for remedies to etc. To using animals to test these things. These are key elements of life. We even use newborns and such to benefit and improve our own lives aka stem cell research.

But ye to shorten things up, priceless and 1 of a kind.

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Originally Posted by PrincessNate

about once or twice every month i engage in public debates with those whose pressing need it is to woo and to win the approval of supernatural beings. very often, when i give my view that there is no supernatural dimension, and certainly not one that is only or especially available to the faithful, and that the natural world is wonderful enough—and even miraculous enough if you insist—i attract pitying looks and anxious questions. how, in that case, i am asked, do i find meaning and purpose in life? how does a mere and gross materialist, with no expectation of a life to come, decide what, if anything, is worth caring about?

depending on my mood, i sometimes but not always refrain from pointing out what a breathtakingly insulting and patronizing question this is. just as the answer to the latter question is: self-respect and the desire for the respect of others—while in the meantime it is precisely those who think they have divine permission who are truly capable of any atrocity—so the answer to the first question falls into two parts. a life that partakes even a little of friendship, love, irony, humor, parenthood, literature, and music, and the chance to take part in battles for the liberation of others cannot be called 'meaningless' except if the person living it is also an existentialist and elects to call it so. it could be that all existence is a pointless joke, but it is not in fact possible to live one's everyday life as if this were so. whereas if one sought to define meaninglessness and futility, the idea that a human life should be expended in the guilty, fearful, self-obsessed propitiation of supernatural nonentities… but there, there. enough.

every human life involves an unfathomable mystery, for man is the riddle of the universe, and the riddle of man in his endowment with personal capacities

tl;dr: idk like $16mil thai baht or someth lOL

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Making me laugh while still giving a valid point? Kudos to you sir.

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Originally Posted by Osuu

If I were to put a value on someone, I'd base it depending his influence towards the world as a whole, economically or even environmentally. And the change in value due to age will completely depend on his "influence". So if a philosopher ages, he/she value won't decrease, it might actually increase due to experience. However, a soldier (for example) will be worth the most during his prime, around 20-30(?), assuming he is a "normal" person, and doesn't achieve something significant and become useful for his experience.

Sickly people would normally be worth less, as they are less useful, however in some rare cases, if the person has a rare disease or an incurable disease and allows experiments on him, his usefulness increases.

If immortality was possible, and assuming you meant by EVERYONE being immortal, then generally, most people's value will increase, as they are able to contribute to society more, on the other hand, everyone's value may not increase as value can be considered a ratio. It may not be criteria-based, but depending on your usefulness compared to others.

As for the value of my life... I honestly can't answer that, I may be biased so I think it's up to others to decide. But I'll thinking about it and answer later :d

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Honest answer, I like it

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Originally Posted by slugheady

I think it's impossible to value human lives, simply because we don't need to be valued. We aren't meant to be worth anything but a human live.

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Originally Posted by Steff

0$
That's what I think a life of a person is worth, including mine.


Living is about survival, the economics are there so we all can survive.

If you can't defend your self and you die, you failed.

0$

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Originally Posted by Yuzan

Life is an anomaly. Something that is alive being created by anything that cannot be classified as living is just impossible. From the tiniest cell to whatever organism exist that you wish to use it's very existence is an impossibility. In science and in religion there is no clear answer of how life came to be. But with the life that exist now, every human being/animals/plants/etc there are cells these cells hold the key every last bit of life on this planet. In a human beings case each of these cells are used to improve each and everyone of us. Whether it's from using diseases to create vaccines and using plants for remedies to etc. To using animals to test these things. These are key elements of life. We even use newborns and such to benefit and improve our own lives aka stem cell research.

But ye to shorten things up, priceless and 1 of a kind.

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I'll reply to all three of you at once.

If you have a problem taking the perspective of the value of life then place it as a perspective of taking. What should an insurance company pay when someone dies in an accident? What amount of money is too much for a ransom note? How much should the government pay in medical bills before they pull the plug.

Just because something cannot be owned does not mean it is valueless or priceless, it simply means that society has deemed it not purchasable. Even if you take a step back a few hundred years ago, humans themselves could be property, so I really can't see your argument as valid.

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Originally Posted by Ollypayy

Existential Nihilism

nuff said 0k

had to do an essay 0n it 0nce g_G

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It is an interesting take on this subject, I cannot say I agree with it, but definitely an interesting concept.

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Originally Posted by WucasOneeChan

I'll reply to all three of you at once.

If you have a problem taking the perspective of the value of life then place it as a perspective of taking. What should an insurance company pay when someone dies in an accident? What amount of money is too much for a ransom note? How much should the government pay in medical bills before they pull the plug.

Just because something cannot be owned does not mean it is valueless or vise versa, it simply means that society has deemed it not purchasable. Even if you take a step back a few hundred years ago, humans themselves could be property, so I really can't see your argument as valid.

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Alright I'll reply the best I can without bashing you, I didn't state it has no value. Just the value is priceless. Life excels more then anything else in the word. Forever changing and evolving with infinite possibilities. If you wanna get some hard number down which is impossible have a go at this.

The economic value that animal testing has.
Total profit from drugs and vaccines around the earth from day 1 to the foreseeable future.
Stem cell research and the value it has for human beings with problems from physical to mental handicaps to economic changes. ie making someone that could be classified to someone who is able to work.

And my perspective is quite clear, how much would a woman sell her embryo for? How much would a woman have to paid to give up her newborn to stem-cell research? A teen who had been pregnant and wasn't prepared to be a mother? A surrogate mother carrying the child for another family? etc etc etc. I'm talking about life that hasn't had a chance to be classified as a life, the value that a death has for over a period of time on a society.

Wucas, if you aren't prepared to explore all answers with an open mind don't post a debate. This isn't an argument this is an opinion, and it's as valid as anything else.

This is pretty interesting:

http://www.humanforsale.com/

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Originally Posted by Osuu

This is pretty interesting:

http://www.humanforsale.com/

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"You are worth exactly $2,635,660"

O well, i tried.

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Originally Posted by WucasOneeChan

"You are worth exactly $2,635,660"

O well, i tried.

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Penis size?

Humans ruin dis world.


you wanna know how?

thank god you didn't.

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Originally Posted by MeX

Humans ruin dis world.


you wanna know how?

thank god you didn't.

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You aren't making a valid point..



What is a human life worth?
Ask those dutch motherfokkers that bought up black people to let them work for them.
Ask your boss what he pays for you.

You life is worth what persons would bid for your skills, experience, knowledge, usefullness.
That's what I think.

The true value lies in those options.
But the true worth of it? idk.

as example;
I work on a company as intern, they pay new interns 150eu a month.
Interns who learn fast, have skills and have a roll in the company's growth.
Get 250eu a month.

Therefore your usefullness, skills, knowledge and experience make you more valuable even though it's a simpel internship.

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Originally Posted by WucasOneeChan

Making me laugh while still giving a valid point? Kudos to you sir.

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someone with a sense of humor

depends who
ie, ur momma was 15$

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Originally Posted by Meteorain

depends who
ie, ur momma was 15$

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someone without a sense of humor

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Originally Posted by PrincessNate

someone without a sense of humor

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a hater has appeared

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Originally Posted by Meteorain

a hater has appeared

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wucas' life is more valuable than yours

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Originally Posted by PrincessNate

wucas' life is more valuable than yours

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https://freestylersworld.com/customav...ar142248_4.gif

thats what you're doing

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Originally Posted by Meteorain

https://freestylersworld.com/customav...ar142248_4.gif

thats what you're doing

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http://i.imgur.com/revEvvO.gif

Humanity , in a nutshell , is just the worst species ever.

I feel like this is drawn to the topic of abortion lol. Yes, of course there is value to life, otherwise, why are you living?!

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Originally Posted by AnnaBoo

I feel like this is drawn to the topic of abortion lol. Yes, of course there is value to life, otherwise, why are you living?!

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The question is WHAT is the value though '-'

Oh Well I learned a lesson from a priest. He took a golden chalice out and was about to poor a soda on it, but everyone who saw it yelled not to. What he is showing that the chalice is sacred and valuable by the way it is created that simply tainting it makes it less valuable because of the decisions to make it that way. I guess value depends on you as a human being, what you do, and how you choose to be, but even being tainted, you can still hold true to it. What makes human beings valuable? The essence of who we are and what we have become and how we choose to make of our lives.

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Originally Posted by AnnaBoo

I feel like this is drawn to the topic of abortion lol. Yes, of course there is value to life, otherwise, why are you living?!

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Living to waste resources haha. But apparently, yes you live for a reason. What is your reason? :P

Didn't I just give my reason at the end here. PAY ATTENTION before reply steph ;d

Stay on topic please.

I think the value of human life equals the smallest bacteria in the universe. We're all fruits of mother nature.
Sadly there's going to be one or other that thinks he's the shit of the world and will destroy everything, just like in the world wars.

I don't think there should be a price for a humans life.

Life is supposed to be sacred and fun and sometimes it has it's ups and downs.
Being human can be tough, especially when we have idiot's in our world, who think that our life should be of worth value.

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Originally Posted by Zachary!

Life is supposed to be sacred and fun and sometimes it has it's ups and downs.
Being human can be tough, especially when we have idiot's in our world.

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Right? The world has pretty much plenty of nice people. Still there's that idiot that ruins your life.

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Originally Posted by QBee

Right? The world has pretty much plenty of nice people. Still there's that idiot that ruins your life.

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That idiot that doesn't know when to leave you alone '-' Plenty of nice people, but for every 100 nice people, there prob about 99 bishy ones.

Depends on who it is. Some people I completely hate and wish death on. Some people mean alot to me :D.
If ur talking bout money it goes from 0-infinity.