Value Of Life

Is it possible to put a dollar amount on the value on a human life? Many have different opinions. In fact, people and societies throughout the history have been trying to answer the dilemma of howmuch is life worth. Amanda Ripley asked the question, “Is a poor man’s life worth less than a rich man’s?” (Ripley 2). To answer this question, there is no definitive response. One would argue that aprofessional doctor, who is in the business of saving peoples lives, is much more important than the individual who is unemployed and only watches television all day. Another one would argue thatsomeone like a spiritual leader, let’s say Dalai Lama, is far more important and valuable than The President of the United States. When you look at these two arguments, the person you view to be moreimportant depends on your own morals and view of what is to be a “valuable player” in your society.
Today people believe that the families of the dead should be compensated for their loss. Our society hasplaced a dollar amount on life. It is true that life is precious, but that does not mean life has a monetary value. But the government changed that. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, thefederal government started a federal fund to help the victims and families of victims of the attacks. To figure out how much money a person will receive form the fund is determined by a multi-step formula.First they figure out how much the victims would have earned if had there no been attacks. This would mean that a professional doctor’s family would earn far more than the family of a janitor. Is ittrue that a doctor has more value than a janitor in our society? Then the fund adds $250,000 as a base cover, and then another $50,000 for a spouse and each child (Ripley 22). This means that amarried man with 5 kids is more important than a married man with no children at all. How is this fair? What about the people who haven’t yet had a chance to start a family because their lives were cut on...