[Flint]

It might be easy to gauge the worth of yourself and your loved ones.

But to measure the value of stranger's life, you must put yourself in their place.

That sounds good, right?

Okay, now put yourself in the place of a permanently braindead person being kept alive by machines. As that person, how much would you be able to figure your own life is worth?

Okay, now put yourself in the place of a miserable, self-loathing, drug addict, whose every day actions inidcate that they have given up on life. As that person, how much would you be able to figure your own life is worth?

This isn't working!

Okay, now put yourself in the place of a basically decent person, who commits many good acts and kind deeds, but whose own low self-esteem won't let them see their true value to society. Maybe this person has a chemical imbalance and is suicidal. As that person, how much would you be able to figure your own life is worth?

This definitely isn't working.

This has to be determined by an indifferent outisde source in order to make any sense.

So, how much is a human life worth to an impartial observer... let's say one who has no stake in the affairs of humanity?

Is it more or less than the life of a grub worm? Is it more or less than the life of a tree?



From one extreme to the other, you're never going to like the answer to this question.