Are some people's lives worth more than others?

Question

curiousnorway · Accepted Answer

Depends on what you mean.

When talking of human rights and the more "objective" way to look at things I don't think there should be lives more worth than others. Everyone should have the same right at the same human rights, have the same access to opportunities etc. Everyone should also have the same right at a good healthcare and education system. If you says some people are more worth than others, it's easy to ignore someone's rights.

If you mean as preferences I would say yes, there's a difference, but it's subjective. Some people are more preferred than others and therefor many of us are more aware of our gratefulness over having them and how much we're valuing them than others. It's very common to prefer your own family and closest friends more than a stranger because of you knows them, may appreciate their qualities etc., but that doesn't necessarily mean you wants to remove other's human's rights. You're just more willingly to fight for the closest ones if you've limited resources. People who's seen as either a burden or are mean tends to be less preferred than kind and hard working people, but that doesn't mean they should have less human rights or be considered less valuable. Preferences are subjective.

johnny_hustle · Accepted Answer

In the grand scheme of things? No. Everyone's life is pretty much worthless. Eventually the universe will die and everything everyone has ever done will have been for naught.

Personally, I do find some peoples lives to be worth more than others. If I had to choose to save someone and my options were someone I cared deeply about and someone I have never met, I'm going to choose the person I cared deeply about 99% of the time. I don't say 100% because if that person I cared about is old and about to die anyways and the other is an infant or toddler then I'd probably save the infant or toddler because they still have a life to live while the one I cared about already did that.

Lexachip · Accepted Answer

Many people think so. Many Americans do not care that immigrants wanting to enter the US from Guatemala, etc. are threatened and family members are being killed. The anti asylum Americans think that it is better the immigrants than themselves. Many forgot that their family escaped from a country that was bad and needed a fresh start. Not good at all to forget the reasons why all came to America.

ninjafemme · Accepted Answer

A human being is so very fragile , I always wonder why isn't me that Rich , why isn't my life so glamorous , why am I not America's next top model. But then I think you know I can lose my sight tomorrow and what would those things matter. We are fragile beings.

MlleCake · Accepted Answer

No. We are each a beloved child of God.

HawkPerception · Answer

In a society, who's life would you prioritize more... a doctor with years of medical knowledge and expertise or a schizophrenic asylum patient?

Let's give a less extreme example. Who's life would you prioritize more? An old man or a little boy?

This one is the hardest one. You're on an deserted island and you have to choose between a little girl's life and a man who has a ton of survival skills and experience and is capable of living in environments like that with ease.

In each case, your mind came to an answer. The cold hard truth is some lives are definitely more valuable than others. Sometimes it depends on the scenario. Like in the last case, if it was not a deserted island and there was no struggle for necessities, the little girl would likely be picked the majority of the time.

Bandit74 · Answer

I don't understand how people say no.
The answer is clearly yes.

Most people value the life of a friend or family member over that of a stranger.

A doctor would be considered more valuable than a rapist.

Now here is where it gets a little more dicey, but an attractive person is probably more valuable than an ugly one. A smart person is more valuable than a dumb person. People may deny this with their words, but based on actions it is more clear that these biases do exist.

Whocouldibe · Answer

It is about perspective.
I mean when you compare the scientists who will cure some major life threatening diseases versus your local gang who takes lives, money etc It would appear to most there’s a clear difference there. But it’s easier to compare when you aren’t possibly the one who’s life someone may decide is worth less.

jgokgotit · Answer

In terms of living life and being treated with respect and having needs cared for, no. In terms of some people are appointed by God as leaders to be obeyed, yes. It really depends on if you mean worth by authority of position or just that some people matter more than others. Everyone matters equally, but authority must be respected, except when it goes against God.

Moonchild714 · Answer

Yeah of course, people who Rape and Abuse Children, Rapists, Cold-Blooded Murderers their lives aren't worth Shit so Torture them All to Death!!! Other than that Social Standing Finances doesn't make your life worth more than the bum or hooker on the street.

EpicDweeb · Answer

I believe human lives are more valuable than those of any and all animals. I believe all human lives are of equal value in a spiritual sense, but in a purely physical sense there are some people who contribute more positively through their lives to society than to others. Even then however... I consider every life priceless.

Sensmind · Answer

You could probably write a philosophical essay on many different levels but in simple ideological terms no but as you dig down the case can be presented for each person say 5 people on a crashing plane and two parachutes, how do you decide, on what level to you decide logical/emotional etc.
To die - One loved one Vs ten people you don't know?

eshedd · Answer

Yes sadly, people’s “worth” is subjectively how much they provide for society, but then again you could also put it this way that a persons worth if they’re criminals or not, and I’m not saying like people who get tickets, I mean murders, rapists, child molesters, druggies, etc

But yes some people’s lives are worth more than others

Kayla45 · Answer

In my opinion my life is the most important above all others, not to sound arrogant or anything but... You'd probably want to pay attention more on your own life than the lives of others around you. In my opinion there's only one me, and there will never be another me in history. So yes, I count my own personal life more important, not as to say that I don't care about others, just saying what's the most important to me

Nivinxus · Answer

Yep. Everyone will value certain lives more than others, classic example is parents valuing their children's lives over theirs. Some people value their partners or family members over their own. Some soldiers value their comrades over others.

Many examples exists and every scenario can change the value of one's life.

JayParris · Answer

To who? When you're talking about a persons worth, how do you measure it? Is a person who's homeless by choice as important as a person who feeds hundreds of homeless people every week? Is a father who walked away from his family worth as much as the mother who raised the kids on her own?

oxycoder · Answer

Depends on how you look at it. Economical each being has its' individual worth, making others more or less valuable.
However, if you just pick some random people and compare them knowing nothing but their names, there's no other difference than their appearance which serves to no value comparison.

FýrdracaDócincel · Answer

Yes. There are two kinds of people:

People who care about facts..
.. and people who whine about those who care about facts because they're not prioritizing people's feelings.

The second type of person is inherently worth far less and should be treated as such.

redpanda_ · Answer

A life is a life, even if the person is mentally fucked up or has very weird views. So no, no one's life should be worth more than another's. Saying that, people do try to make out they're more important than others!

Thegayest31 · Answer

Value is an idea. Jewish lives werent worth much to the Nazis, bill donahues life is worth nothing to me, a zygote is worth more than a breathing thinking woman to some people because there's a chance it might grow into someone with white skin and a dick. Its all relative.

JamesBoradil03 · Answer

i would like to say worth of life is the same for everyone , but its not. someone who spends their whole life helping others has more worth in their life than a heroin addict who spent their whole life robbing people and sucking dick for their next high. everyone has the potential to have the same worth of life though. i believe worth of life is determined by how many people you help and why you help those people

ecfresh · Answer

Nope, every life is a gift from God. We use our gifts in individual ways and we all have the capacity to do good or evil acts. However in life or death situations people have to decide on one life over another based on many factors.

Katerina_Belle · Answer

I want to say no and say it is subjective on who you ask but the correct answer to that is an unfortunate yes.

The death of a person in power would effect more people than let’s say a homeless person with no family or friends.

Ellie-V · Answer

Yes. The people’s whose lives that do not measure as high as the rest are those who are in the process of living or dying. Example being an unborn life or a person in a vegetable state on some life support.

Belgie · Answer

Objectively, yes. But your pictures are very misleading. Outward displays of wealth are not a sign that one life is worth more than another.

But I'd take one Norman Borlaug over 50 Jeffrey Dahmer's any day of the week.

Jjpayne · Answer

Every person's life it's important! It just takes them to have the right ability to view their life as important and meaningful because every single person has importance and meaning

Browneye57 · Answer

Don't confuse 'worth' with 'value'. There's a difference. Some people are much more valuable than others - what they can offer. It doesn't mean someone less is less worthy.

SirRexington · Answer

Every human has worth. It's not based on income or the amount of sex you have. It's about how you interact with others and what you do that matters and why you do it.

Repa33 · Answer

I think so. A brain surgeon who saves lives on the daily would be more important than a homeless drug addict who mugs people

PinkMichae · Answer

Yes. Like I believe my children's lives are worth more than mine. If I had to choi between me and them living I'd say kill me and spare them as there lives are more important.

xxxkinkster · Answer

Some people seem to have no conscious no heart no compassion or the ability to interact with society. It's our responsibility to make sure that these humans with no soul are treated with decency. As far as worth goes money can't get you get health if you are terminally ill. The classification of people varies in different cultures. Personally we are not all created equal some are born totally dependant on the Goodwill of others...

FakeName123 · Answer

Yes. I think a kind, but strong-willed human being is worth more than a weaseling mass-murderer.

Anyhow, there are other aspects of worth as well. Do you talk about moral kind of worth? Economical worth? Cultural worth? Intellectual worth? etc

TheUniqueOne96 · Answer

To me, yes, to an extent, but I think this would apply to a lot of other people e. g. I care more about my family and friends, than some people I don't know.

PressOn · Answer

Thomas Jefferson's "all men are created equal" is quite a declaration. Simple and true. After that equality is skewed in so many directions.

SuccessfulHornDog · Answer

Yes, of course. My child is more important than any of you. Contributing citizens are more important than those who suck off the system. Non criminals are more important than criminals. and so on and so on.

backdoorman · Answer

When we are born into this world we are all equally valuable.

But some people do more to make the world a better place and to improve the lives of others, and those people's lives are worth more than rapists and terrorists, for example.

BeHappy1985 · Answer

Imagine the world without Tesla, Edison, Einstein, Newton, Hawking, da Vinci etc. etc... Now imagine the world without Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Richard Ramirez etc. etc... Which version do you choose?

Massageman · Answer

Chemically, we are all worth a few USD.

Employment-wise and business-wise, yes some have more VALUE to a business.
In our own lives, yes some of us will have able to amass more MONEY VALUE over a lifetime than others.

HungLikeAHorsefly · Answer

My life is more valuable than everyone else's. So, yes.

rjroy3 · Answer

Absolutely. My mom's life means more than your mom's life. Objectively speaking. My mom is the best mom in the world. In the world.

normalice · Answer

Yes, but the way of determing worth is not available to us with our current technology. So, it is effectively a no.

little_bird1 · Answer

Morally, no. But when I see an idiot living a healthy moronic life and a genius dying out of random cancer, can't help thinking that it's too bad.

Jamie05rhs · Answer

No, they are not. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Hannajenky · Answer

No everyone will die in the end. We create our own meaning in life

Ananchor · Answer

Yup, anyone who hurts kids, rapists, murders, drug dealers... not worth a penny

GhostMochi · Answer

No, I feel like everyone should look at life equally. No one should value one person's life more than another.

SexyAshh · Answer

Yepp. Most homeless were alcholics and drug abusers. You choose what direction you want your life to go amd what path.

Cheetah23 · Answer

Of course. E. g. You best lock away child abusers in prison for the rest of their life, cause a child's life > abuser's life

BrookieCookie0422 · Answer

Of course not. Everyone is equal.  However it’s more complicated than that. There’s no set value on life.  Life is in-valuable really.

Daniela1982 · Answer

You might not think so but one example is the President. People will give their lives to save him.

MackToday · Answer

Sure, some people are murders, rapists or communists. Their lives are a determent to the lives of others they are anti life.

gothgirl997 · Answer

No, except for criminals, serial killers, thieves, deceitful politicians, bankers and billionaires

RoyalFlushAce · Answer

Yea I feel like US citizens lives are worth way more than illegals, asylum seekers and refugees. I feel like if we don't start putting our own people first the country is going to crumble.

AynonOMouse · Answer

Yeah. Some of the people I care about are worth much more to me than others. The people I like the most I would rather save them than a million others that I don't know or care about.

codycccccccccc · Answer

Yes it's in this order  Me  My family  Non religious people  My dog  My cat  My cows Religious people who are decorated veterans  Mice  Flees  Cancer cells Bacteria  Religious people

RasmusAiken · Answer

Government provides much more protection to an eagle's egg than for an unborn human.

ClearCyan · Answer

If you're talking monetarily, then yes. Some people are more productive and therefore worth more economically speaking.

DeviloftheValleys · Answer

Without a doubt. The life of a small child is worth more than an adult. The life of a doctor is worth more than a paedophile.

dropkicknj13 · Answer

Obviously yes, a doctor creating the cure for cancer is worth much more than a homeless junkie.

theassassinscreed · Answer

Under God all things and all lives matter no matter what kind of life we and animals have in the end under the Lord Jesus Christ everything matters 😇 and every life matter.

Guanfei · Answer

Yep. A murderer, a rapist, or any kind of child abuser isn't worth anything in my eyes. If it was up to me, those people would just be thrown in the ocean and left there.

Notallways · Answer

Yes, my wife and son are more important then the lives of others to me. It would be nice if more people felt this way in their own lives. We would all be better off.

Hurdleez-Swampede · Answer

It depends who you ask and I think we all matter to God equally. By claiming you matter more or others matter more than certain others shows you're playing God-like favoritism.

lovedejj_xo · Answer

No. We bleed the same and you can get taken down at any moment rich or poor. Everyone has a purpose

Vivaldi · Answer

No. Horny men's penis should be cut off while slut women should be paid more and more money for their slutness. Man is not equal to a woman. If you were born not a girl, that sucks. It fucking does!

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