Comments on: You Choose: Recession or 9/11?

By: Organ capitalism « SCSU Intellectuals

Organ capitalism « SCSU Intellectuals — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:44:10 +0000

[...] Benjamin Seghers 10:44 PM On his blog, David Switzer, an economics professor at SCSU, brings up the interesting topic of the sale of [...]

By: Benjamin Seghers

Benjamin Seghers — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:47:10 +0000

You, as in the reader. In fact, everyone ought to consider whether humans merely have extrinsic value or whether they have intrinsic value, or, as you propose, have both.

By: ProfSwitzer

ProfSwitzer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:05:51 +0000

“Those economists and others who put prices on human lives” are doing so because they are required to do so. They have to find some way of valuing life for compensatory purposes. It might not be the “best model for perceiving human life,” but what other model would you use? As much as we want to say that every life has infinite value, that’s nonsensical when it comes to making decisions in legal cases, for example, where a family must be compensated for a family member’s death. So what value do you place on a life? Part of what I was pointing out in my post is the difficulty inherent in valuing life, in part because of your extrinsic/intrinsic comparison (a point which I do appreciate you explaining). Are we all equally valuable? I think there are some reasons to say yes and to apply that standard to public policy. I also think there are some reasons to say no, and to apply different monetary values to different people — just as the board mentioned in Suzi’s comment did. But even if you say all human life is equally valuable, what is that dollar value? This ultimately is the question I was getting at with this post, comparing the value of these saved lives with the impact of the recession.

P.S. Benjamin, I wasn’t sure if the “You” in “You should ask yourself whether this is truly the best model for perceiving human life” was referring to me specifically or was intended for anyone reading the comment. I wasn’t taking it personally, but still thought a reply was warranted.

By: Benjamin Seghers

Benjamin Seghers — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:41:37 +0000

Some will say life is incommensurable, that you cannot compare one person’s life to another, or that it is impossible to quantitatively measure a person’s life or its value. (Is the life of a rural farmer in China of less value than the stock broker’s in New York?) Within the utilitarian context, they say it is possible to measure one’s ability to produce utility, and that the maximization of such is morally obligatory. Deontological perspectives doubt this notion, or consider it immoral to do so. Furthermore, is it just human life that has intrinsic value, or do we say other life should also be considered in decision making? The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic value is important here. Those economists and others who put prices on human lives value it merely as a tool or instrument, as a means to accomplish some thing. You should ask yourself whether this is truly the best model for perceiving human life.

By: ProfSwitzer

ProfSwitzer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:19:36 +0000

That’s a great article, Suzi. We economists deal in scarcity, but usually it’s not life-and-death issues, so if someone doesn’t get a HDTV, it’s not the end of the world. But in cases where supply is fixed and anyone who doesn’t get the good dies, you have the dilemma faced by this board. It poses some VERY interesting ethical questions.

By: Suzi

Suzi — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:46:22 +0000

No matter what sector you look at, it seems that someone is “playing God.” Actuaries determine whether there is a cost benefit to anything from recalling defective cars to paying for expensive medical tests. I shudder to think about what “data” government analysts use to fashion our foreign policy.

Now doctors must come up with reasonable ways to determine who deserves organs for transplant. I believe that now it’s based on a first come/first served waiting list, but it wasn’t always this way. Check out this article about the “God Committee,” I’d love to hear your thoughts…

http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.28156/pub_detail.asp