The article on 'How much for a Life' looks at the ethical view of an individual life in an
economic way. To say that every person on this planet is worth the same amount, give or
take a few million, is putting all individuals on an equal plain. One would argue that a
professional doctor, who is in the business of saving peoples lives, is much more
important the individual who is unemployed and only watches television all day.
Another would argue that someone like Mother Theresa is far more important and
valuable than The President of the United States. When you look at these two arguments,
who you view to be more important and valuable depends upon what end of the scale you
are living. If I were another unemployed person who stays home and watches television
all day, I would argue that I am worth just as much as any doctor in the country. I take
this view because I come from the same environment stated in the argument above. In
the second argument, if I were not a religious man, I would probably think that the
president of the United States if far more important and valuable than Mother Theresa.
What I am trying to say is that you cannot possibly put a value on any one persons life.
We all come from different parts of the world and are raised in different types of
environments. To say that the value of an individual life increases with the contributions
that person makes to the world is not even a fair statement. The person who is
unemployed and only watches television all day might have five or more children that
needs their attention. The person also may be staying home due to the ever increasing
cost of childcare and it does not make sense for them to work. The professional doctor
may be a single person with no responsibilities other than his or her work. Does this
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