Israeli assault targets symbols of Hamas power

[mawilson 2,133]

Mark you're doing a bit of bait and switch here - you indicate that the measure of value you use to determine worth has little or nothing to do with morality, but you present these artificial scenarios where the expected response is a moral one.

Where did I indicate that? Morality is concerned with 'good' or 'bad', 'right' and 'wrong'

and those things can very well be taken into account when calculating someone's value.

If you honestly don't think that morality is important as a function of determining "value" then it could quite conceivably be argued that Saddam husseins leadership and military skills make him more valuable than beethoven.

Did his leadership and military skills make life better for his people?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I need something to do to pass the time.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I need something to do to pass the time.

Always glad to help out.

[mawilson 2,133]

If it was between me and a doctor I'd say kill me because the doctor is more valuable to society and could save more lives than I could.

But you *are* going to be a doctor and you're young - therefore you will probably save

more lives in the future than a doctor who's already old.

What makes your life valuable are your future actions, not your past actions. What's done

is done, your death will not undo the good or bad things you've done. Past performance

is a good measure of future potential - nothing more.

Edited December 31, 2008 by mawilson

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

If it was between me and a doctor I'd say kill me because the doctor is more valuable to society and could save more lives than I could.

That is unless you worked in a fertility clinic!

Edited December 31, 2008 by ={Rogue}=

[Ban Hammer 13,282]

6 months later you read in the paper that this mother that was worth more than the serial killer drowns the three kids and takes off never to be seen again. You will never know if she remarried, had more kids, drowned them too ,etc.

Well, without a crystal ball or ability to see into the future, we can only make decisions

based on the facts that are presented to us. Statistically speaking, your scenario is

extremely unlikely to happen in real life.

Estimating someone's life's worth is difficult because potential future achievements are

not always (although often) related to past performance. One thing is certain - as you

get older, your potential for future achievements approaches zero and becomes less of

a variable. By this measure, a 90-year-old man's life isn't worth a hell of a lot.

(Any insurance company will tell you the same if you try to buy a life insurance policy

for a 90 year old man.)

Are you part Vulcan?

i bet he gives a heck of a shocker!

[HAL 9000 96]

6 months later you read in the paper that this mother that was worth more than the serial killer drowns the three kids and takes off never to be seen again. You will never know if she remarried, had more kids, drowned them too ,etc.

Well, without a crystal ball or ability to see into the future, we can only make decisions

based on the facts that are presented to us. Statistically speaking, your scenario is

extremely unlikely to happen in real life.

Estimating someone's life's worth is difficult because potential future achievements are

not always (although often) related to past performance. One thing is certain - as you

get older, your potential for future achievements approaches zero and becomes less of

a variable. By this measure, a 90-year-old man's life isn't worth a hell of a lot.

(Any insurance company will tell you the same if you try to buy a life insurance policy

for a 90 year old man.)

Are you part Vulcan?

i bet he gives a heck of a shocker!

HAL 9000 can do that too.

[Amby 490]

6 months later you read in the paper that this mother that was worth more than the serial killer drowns the three kids and takes off never to be seen again. You will never know if she remarried, had more kids, drowned them too ,etc.

Well, without a crystal ball or ability to see into the future, we can only make decisions

based on the facts that are presented to us. Statistically speaking, your scenario is

extremely unlikely to happen in real life.

Estimating someone's life's worth is difficult because potential future achievements are

not always (although often) related to past performance. One thing is certain - as you

get older, your potential for future achievements approaches zero and becomes less of

a variable. By this measure, a 90-year-old man's life isn't worth a hell of a lot.

(Any insurance company will tell you the same if you try to buy a life insurance policy

for a 90 year old man.)

Are you part Vulcan?

i bet he gives a heck of a shocker!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Mark you're doing a bit of bait and switch here - you indicate that the measure of value you use to determine worth has little or nothing to do with morality, but you present these artificial scenarios where the expected response is a moral one.

Where did I indicate that? Morality is concerned with 'good' or 'bad', 'right' and 'wrong'

and those things can very well be taken into account when calculating someone's value.

If you honestly don't think that morality is important as a function of determining "value" then it could quite conceivably be argued that Saddam husseins leadership and military skills make him more valuable than beethoven.

Did his leadership and military skills make life better for his people?

In some respects probably, but given that his focus was on his own position I'm not sure how that distinction is really important.

Again if the measure of worth you use to justify the value of your own life over mentally retarded people is purely material then how can you frame the argument about a dictator vs a famous composer in moral terms?

Either you accept that morality and ethics are important to this question or you don't.

If you honestly don't then surely you can't use a moral argument. Its wholly contradictory...

[Amby 490]

I need something to do to pass the time.

let me give booyah a call

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I need something to do to pass the time.

let me give booyah a call

I thought you said booty call

[Amby 490]

I need something to do to pass the time.

let me give booyah a call

I thought you said booty call

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If it was between me and a doctor I'd say kill me because the doctor is more valuable to society and could save more lives than I could.

But you *are* going to be a doctor and you're young - therefore you will probably save

more lives in the future than a doctor who's already old.

What makes your life valuable are your future actions, not your past actions. What's done

is done, your death will not undo the good or bad things you've done. Past performance

is a good measure of future potential - nothing more.

But to follow that argument both beethoven and saddam are dead so the whole basis for your example relies on a knowledge of their past accomplishments.

[Amby 490]

If it was between me and a doctor I'd say kill me because the doctor is more valuable to society and could save more lives than I could.

But you *are* going to be a doctor and you're young - therefore you will probably save

more lives in the future than a doctor who's already old.

What makes your life valuable are your future actions, not your past actions. What's done

is done, your death will not undo the good or bad things you've done. Past performance

is a good measure of future potential - nothing more.

Stop hating old people!

I luvz ya too and I'm in too good of a mood to debate with you too! Let's all just have a big group hug.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Group hugs are not hygienic