Human life is full of meaning. As humans, we assign value to many things. However, what happens when we assign a specific value to a human life? This is the issue being presented in the article, “What is a Life Worth,” by Amanda Ripley. The government is determining a monetary value to a human life, and it does not appeal to the masses. There are many problems with the cold calculation, and most people cannot see the other side of the numbers. The economic value of a human life is calculated based on the income the person was receiving, but when the check is given to a loved one of a small amount, the compensation is misinterpreted as an overall value of the human life. The true value of a human life should not be combined with the monetary value that is determined by the government, or the value of life would be worth very little.
In the article, “What is a Life Worth,” by Amanda Ripley, the families of the tragic 9/11 incident were economically compensated for the loss of their loved ones. This calculation was determined by the income the person had been receiving prior to the tragedy. The goal of the government monetary compensation was to provide a more stabled economic situation for the families that depended on these people for the majority income. Ripley interviews a colourful array of people, all of whom had different opinions, especially those who were outraged by the amount they received. Needless to say, the vast majority blamed the government for an unequal and unjust way of going about the distribution of money, bringing in the actual value of life, rather than the financial compensation. For example, a woman who was killed in the pentagon left no dependants and therefore her parents were eligible for money. Her ...
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...ut to any tragedy where the government is involved.
The value of a human life varies, depending on the person. Even though as humans, we assign a lot of value to many things, human life should remain the most valuable thing we have. The true value of a human life should not be combined with the monetary value that is determined by the government, or the value of life would be worth very little.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Lance, and Sally Jenkins. It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. New York: Putnam, 2000. Print.
"Human Life Value - Financial Calculators from Dinkytown.net." Financial Calculators. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. .
Ripley, Amanda. "What Is a Life Worth?" Time 11 Feb. 2002. Print.
Shakespeare, William, Burton Raffel, and Harold Bloom. Hamlet. New Haven: Yale UP, 2003. Print.
“What is a human life worth?” will always be a question that I don’t quite know the answer to. No matter what you do, how you chose to value your life is entirely up you. Everyone lives life differently so the monetary value of a person will be different. Whether you believe all lives should be handled as equal or if you chose to invest in life insurance, you cannot find the true value of life when thinking of all those legalities. Happiness is what the value of life ultimately should be all
Do two wrongs make a right? That is the question you should ask yourself. How can one life be worth more than another?s? Would you like to have your dignity, and even your basic human rights to stripped away from you at the flick of a switch or the pull of a trigger?
Life is a precious gift given to us the moment we are born and Thomas Jefferson knew this. We can define life as having respect for ourselves and others, accepting our individuality, not judging certain groups or individuals, and being able to exercise our morals and beliefs. Living in America, we are allowed to live these rights of “life”. The United States has become a very diverse nation.
To truly answer if a value should be put on a human life, Amanda Ripley, author of “What Is a Life Worth”, wrote on how human lives after September 11th, 2000, were placed into a monetary value chart so as to “compensate” the families for their loss. “Is a poor man's life worth less than a rich mans?” Ripley wrote ( Ripley 56). A man by the name of Feinstein had to create a chart that “accurately” calculated the life of a human being.
Every life is priceless; there is nothing as valuable and as genuine as a human being. No matter the color, gender, religion, beliefs, I think that if you are alive and breathing, you still have value. Many people choose to see the value of people in what they have accomplished, what they have invested, or the obstacles they face, but in reality the value of life is not in materialistic things, or issues we go through, but it is our dignity we all withhold within us. Overall, it is vital to apprehend that when looking at the value of life, we are able to see in a view that surpasses all of the mess ups, failures, and setbacks. That looks past all of the achievements, accomplishments, and profits.
Following the assumptions by Van Parijs, we could also question whether women's higher life expectation could be due to biological reasons. In order to introduce this topic, we can use Paula Casal's Love not war. On the chemistry of good and evil. She develops during her article the main biological reasons for different life expectations by sex.
“In everyday life, men and women make decisions that affect the life and death of existing people. They decide whether to join the army; whether to donate blood, a kidney, or bone marrow to a child; whether to give money to Save the Children instead of buying a new sweater; whether to decline a life-saving blood transfusion; whether to drive a small fort on walls that may protect passengers in a crash but often kills those in less substantial vehicles” (Borgmann 23).
The value of life is a very controversial topic. It has been brought up many times throughout history in interviews, poem, stories, and even class. Many people have different opinions on what the value of life is and what it is worth. Unfortunately there is no denotative definition. It is connotative, which can only be defined through personal experiences and beliefs. Many highly intelligent people have different views on the value of life and express it in whatever way they can.
Abortion is one of America’s most controversial subjects. The participants in this debate have fixed beliefs on the matter at hand. On one side of the debate are people who believe in pro- choice. They argue that choice of a woman is more important than an unborn fetus. They point out that an unborn child is not on the same level of importance as the mother. Also, the pro-life group declares that choice is the sole purpose behind their argument. They believe that if a woman cannot chose to abolish a pregnancy, then she looses one of her basic human rights. The other side of the debate is the pro-life group. Their main concern is that the fetus is a person; therefore, having the same human rights as the mother. As a result, when states pass laws that enable abortions, these states are legalizing murder. When considering an individual’s ethics and values, killing is morally wrong. Therefore, the termination of unborn children is wrong, as well. Abortion, the unethical expulsion of an embryo or fetus, in order to purposely end a pregnancy, should be forbidden because human life begins at conception, economics is not a justification for abortion, and an unwanted child does not justify abortion.
Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I have travelled: the hero's journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Placing monetary value on an individual’s life is measured not by the way an individual has lived, but rather the individual’s income; at least that is how society views life. Every individual values life from a different perspective. And while every human will find value in life, those values will not be the same as everybody else. Some people will value life as a privilege and believe life should be taken seriously while considering the consequences in every decision contemplated while others will live in the fast lane with an irresponsible mindset. Individuals also view life differently depending on the circumstances. However, no matter how an individual views life, it seems to be impossible to extract emotion out of any decision. Society, on the other hand, values life by placing a monetary value on a human life. Society also has no choice but to set emotion aside when setting that monetary value. The government will use that value to compensate a family who has just lost a love one. However, some families mistake the compensation for “replacing” the lost soul and become indignant. There are many alternatives when it comes to compensating the victim’s family. In most times, society always ends up placing a value on an individual based on his/her income. Furthermore, while society delivers compensation to families, society also believes in compensation for an individual’s pain and suffering. There are times society should place a monetary value on life, while having restrictions.
Life is the ultimate value for each and every one of us. Probably the single most important thing we can do in life is to serve the purpose in which we were created. I still do not have a clear view of what my Philosophy of life is, but I do have a better understanding of the path I need to take to seek those answers and am well on my way of accomplishing this goal.
Can a person’s worth be measured? Every person’s value or purpose in life is quantifiable by the economic worth of each individual. Those who are a burden to society by not being able to reach financial balance and must rely on others to provide and therefore are seen as dispensable. This is book argues that human life has no worth and we are only valued for what we can provide for those around us. Thus, those who can provide more to those around us are more successful in life. Within the book The Unit, a single person’s purpose and value in life is quantifiable to the economic worth of every other individual.
What is happiness, and how can and should we achieve it? The answer to this is something that humans have been trying to figure out since the beginning of time. We all experience happiness in our lives. What I have researched is how much our governments and world leaders are in control of our lifespan and happiness. Elected and unelected officials have an undeniably large role in all of our lives, all over the world. My goal was to study how much effect they have on our happiness/lifespan, and how their influence can be improved. I believe that happiness is something that we are all entitled to, regardless of our countless differences. Our governments
As a community we have the responsibility to guard each others lives. It is vital we do not, under any circumstances, deny anyone the right to live, when we should allow them to live as long as possible. We must not destroy anybody’s life, especially the vulnerable or innocent. I believe in protection of life, and am against abortion, murder and euthanasia, so we can live our lives to the full.