One Life Is Worth More Than Others

We tend to judge the moral worth of a life based on various factors such as size of the organism, whether it is sentient or not and its level of intelligence. While this issue of assigning moral worth based on the above factors is not new, I hope to present the issue from a fresh perspective that will make the reader think.

How many beings would you estimate you have killed, either wilfully or inadvertently, in the last 24 hours? Perhaps you killed the odd annoying mosquito, that evasive fly, or dangerous spider. Maybe you put some ant-killing powder on the ground to stop the infestation that took place in your kitchen.

What about microscopic organisms? Have you ever thought about how many organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye you have killed through simple actions such as typing on a keyboard? Think about your typical daily tasks and consider the number of slain organisms.

Notice the lack of guilt or remorse one feels for killing non-human and non-animals compared to when we cause the death of another human or animal. What is it, specifically, that makes killing one organism worse than killing another? Intent perhaps?

The point I am trying to make is that when it comes to humans, one life really is worth more than others based on the emotional worth we place on that life. Most people will not admit it openly, but they would wilfully sacrifice the lives of 10 strangers to save the life of 1 person they care deeply about.

reply to post by Dark Ghost

Originally posted by Dark Ghost

The point I am trying to make is that when it comes to humans, one life really is worth more than others based on the emotional worth we place on that life. Most people will not admit it openly, but they would wilfully sacrifice the lives of 10 strangers to save the life of 1 person they care deeply about.

That's the nature of selfishness.

"It's about me I should get what I want regardless of who I hurt". If there is a choice between many people dying and one person dying and the person chooses to save their own life over saving the many others, then that is selfishness - if a person will allow many others to die to save one person they care about , then that is selfishness.

I'm not judging it as "good" or "evil". It is what it is.

So, the real question is, what type of world would YOU rather live in?

reply to post by arpgme


Would you classify survival as a form of selfishness? If so, then perhaps selfishness is not "bad" despite its negative connotations.

In response to your question at the end, what are my options?

reply to post by Dark Ghost

Most people will not admit it openly, but they would wilfully sacrifice the lives of 10 strangers to save the life of 1 person they care deeply about.

I have no problems admitting it at all. If the lives of my wife or son or extended family were in physical danger and I was their means of defense? I'd stack the bodies like chord wood until I either ran out of threats to kill or I was killed in the process. One of the two, but they know in their hearts....I would go down before they did and without the slightest question in their minds. Nope. It doesn't cause me a moments trouble or issue in coming to that conclusion either. It's just how life is. Those attacking would do the same to me in a heartbeat if the tables were flipped ..or in that example, actually, they ARE trying to do the same to me. Which, of course, is the point.

As for life like a mosquito? Oh, it's not that I don't give it thought when I kill one. Quite the opposite. I'm quite happy with a sense of accomplishment to actually catch one of the little bastards in a position I can smoosh it. (1 down...millions of blood suckers to go! )

reply to post by Dark Ghost

Originally posted by Dark Ghost
reply to post by arpgme

 

Would you classify survival as a form of selfishness? If so, then perhaps selfishness is not "bad" despite its negative connotations.

In response to your question at the end, what are my options?

Again, I was not labeling selfishness as "good" or "bad". It is what it is.

What type of world would you rather live in? A world where we save ourselves and sacrifice the many. Or a world where we sacrifice ourselves to save the many.

As far as life being more valuable in regards to species verses species is debatable. Now as far as human verses human, of course some lives are more valuable than others.

Is a scientist studying cancer cures more valuable than a serial child molester?

Is someone who has spent their whole life helping the poor more valuable than a mass murderer?

There are dozens of comparisons that can be made to show that some human life is more valuable than others.

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by Dark Ghost

 

Originally posted by Dark Ghost

The point I am trying to make is that when it comes to humans, one life really is worth more than others based on the emotional worth we place on that life. Most people will not admit it openly, but they would wilfully sacrifice the lives of 10 strangers to save the life of 1 person they care deeply about.

That's the nature of selfishness.

"It's about me I should get what I want regardless of who I hurt". If there is a choice between many people dying and one person dying and the person chooses to save their own life over saving the many others, then that is selfishness - if a person will allow many others to die to save one person they care about , then that is selfishness.

I'm not judging it as "good" or "evil". It is what it is.

So, the real question is, what type of world would YOU rather live in?

edit on 10-6-2013 by arpgme because: (no reason given)

And to sacrifice yourself to save 10 people would still be selfish.

If the first actual living thing was selfless, you think it would even exist to begin with?

reply to post by Dark Ghost


I think it is like an asteroid hitting a city. We were at the wrong place when something big came by.
A fly for example won't be noticed until it's a smudge on a wind screen.

I also feel that worth isn't a word to use for life. People will be worthless by some and priceless by others, but profits are made on peoples life and it is terrible any person would learn their loved ones not worthy of even trying to be saved. decisions made by people that estimate if it will be profitable to help or not, inhumane for people that don't get what we all payed for, cause they are a rare case or the drugs are not payed for...

Personal choices make what you would do. You can't blame anyone for securing personal happiness.

You can blame a system that makes you nothing more but a product.

Our moral is makes it even worse. Don't kill, help those in need, yet what we decide that is that money is more important then moral.
We fight and die for principles, and money makes principles useless

Bla bla. we are hypocrites and are idiots to accept this.

Beyond our individuality and ego life simply all fights to live. It isn't worth a penny, but every advantage helps to survive. We are actually part of that system, so what makes our ego more important ? I think it makes an illusion of what we are.

Life and death are simply what moves us forward and we are part of a sphere filled with all kinds of live. It all is connected someway or another, but death will return where it started and change it's part in an ongoing cycle.

If Ego makes us better and grands us godlike control of our surroundings, there must be some sort of plan that created this as an outcome for a purpose.

I'm not that religious , but us people are narcissistic beings with a god syndrome... It scares me that it probably is indeed something like it that thought hey. people should feel like they are better, can they feel like us hahaha what fun that will be when they found we were fooling them.

A God to me is all what we are part of. and that does make it sentient in a way.

I keep writing to much thoughts and they seem to chaotically come up if I read it back.
I hope you at least enjoy my mindvibes.

reply to post by Turq1

Originally posted by Turq1
And to sacrifice yourself to save 10 people would still be selfish.

Maybe, if you choose to look at it that way; but even if you did look at it in a selfish way that doesn't mean that the person who sacrificed their lives to save those 10 people look at it that way.

Saving yourself and letting 10 people die would be more harmful to the survival of humanity than 1 person dying and 10 people surviving.

reply to post by arpgme


Not really a choice but as you say, it is what it is. No such thing as a selfless good deed.

As far as what would help humanity better, it's moot really since not really in the discussion or what I was replying to. But if you want to look at utilitarian ethics, it still might say that 10 lives is worth 1 life, when utilitarianism tends to hold the opposite.