[Poll] The Value of a Human Life

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by lychee, Sep 17, 2019.

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How much would you pay to save the life of a loved one?

  1. More than a billion times your annual income

    9 vote(s)
    18.8%
  2. 1,000,000,000x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. 1,000,000x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. 100,000x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. 10,000x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. 1000x your annual income

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
  7. 100x your annual income

    4 vote(s)
    8.3%
  8. 50x your annual income

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
  9. 30x your annual income

    2 vote(s)
    4.2%
  10. 20x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  11. 10x your annual income

    6 vote(s)
    12.5%
  12. 5x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  13. 2x your annual income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  14. 1x your annual income

    2 vote(s)
    4.2%
  15. 6x your monthly income

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
  16. 3x your monthly income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  17. 2x your monthly income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  18. 1x your monthly income

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
  19. 2x your weekly income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  20. 1x your weekly income

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  21. Less than your weekly income

    1 vote(s)
    2.1%
  22. I would refuse to pay for treatment

    4 vote(s)
    8.3%
  23. I do not wish to answer

    16 vote(s)
    33.3%
  1. Traveling Chef

    Traveling Chef ⁽ʕ•̀ω•́ʔ╯.+:。Professional Unichef~

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    then double yes I would pay. they need more than just medical help and if it will help them, in the long run, I would save that life, try and get them some help, talk with them and see what's causing their problem, and try to help them or be there for them anyway I could.
     
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  2. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    And then, as you descent into madness because of your breakdown, everything goes black.

    By the time you wake up, you're in a carriage, in a cold barren place, you see people tied up near you, one of them speaks to you, "You're finally awake. We were caught in that imperial ambush, you and that Argonian over there" and then you see the logo of Elder Scrolls Skyrim in your sightline~
    That's an interesting possibility... In that case I'd probably let them go... As much as I love them, I don't have the right to make them suffer even more when they did that while knowing how much I care for them... Probably.

    In all honesty I'm unsure. I'd probably only be able to properly answer this question if I already went through it and already made a decision on the matter.
     
  3. Traveling Chef

    Traveling Chef ⁽ʕ•̀ω•́ʔ╯.+:。Professional Unichef~

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    idk why I found this so hilarious but I did :blobrofl:
     
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  4. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    Glad it was entertaining! It came to me in the spur of the moment! xD
     
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  5. Lazriser

    Lazriser Well-Known Member

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    The value of human life?

    There is none.

    The only value there is to a person is the "person", and not their "humanity". If human life was simply a value, then everything not physical about the person are worthless, because it cannot be valued by mere transient objects like money. Their total body shall become compensation to their consequent actions in society, and thus, is the value of human life.

    What you should value is them.

    Not mankind, but them; those close to you. Do not confuse the "you" with the "human". You're more than just a human to certain individuals.

    Humans became insufferable the moment they added monetary value to themselves.

    Keep on lying to yourselves, because what makes the world interesting aren't humans.

    No.

    It's the "people", "they", and "you". "Us" are what makes everything possess value, because the world clearly doesn't give a damn about human life, life, or anything other than just simply functioning to it's own narrative.

    This world without logos.

    I reject the world where only "people" are accepted, because they happen to be "human". Bullshit. Never equate yourselves with such lowly, transient, and misguided logos.
     
  6. Password

    Password [The Forgotten One][Well-Known Password]

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    I wouldn't pay more than I can afford just cause of expenses, and you have to think about after, if you pay 100x you income you'll be in debt for the rest you your life. If you don't have to worry about the debt then I would spend however much I need to
     
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  7. lychee

    lychee [- slightly morbid fruit -] ❀[ 恋爱? ]❀

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    Actually for me, aside from the fact that I always pick "I do not wish to answer" for my own polls, I think this is practically speaking my thoughts for this particular poll, in this sense that sometimes it is difficult to know what you would actually do except really in the heat of the moment.

    I think nominally and instinctively, I would probably end up being the "pay everything!!!" type, without really thinking that carefully about the consequences of the decision. In this sense, I was really impressed with @AliceShiki's carefully thought out response about her realistic limit.

    However, I feel like if the poll scenario was adjusted slightly differently -- like your grandparent instead of your SO, or perhaps your own parents when they're age 75 and have a stroke/heart attack... and now you need to choose whether to have them live in the higher quality nursing home or the cheaper public one...

    From my own experience, there's a huge practical variation in the amount that people are willing to pay for family and loved ones.
     
  8. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    Well, we're not in the heat of the moment right now, so I can take my time to think how I'd react! xD

    That, and even in the heat of the moment, I'd probably be a bit too shocked if someone told me "You need to pay 20 million dollars to save your loved one", probably enough to make me think... "Can I ever pay this debt?" I think this kind of shock would be enough to make me arrive to the same conclusion I arrived right now.

    Like, the shock would be big enough to the point it would stop the panic of wanting to save my significant other to suddenly start worrying about money, at least I believe it would be.
    Ah, if it was saving my parents, my limit would definitely be a lot smaller... Not sure how much, but definitely smaller.

    For the nursing home, I'd probably go with the cheaper public one... Or try to push the burden to my oldest brother... >.>

    Yeah, there is definitely a big variation between how it works with parents and significant others... I love my parents, but the length I can go for them is not nearly as high as what I can go for someone I wish to live my life with...
     
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  9. Anra7777

    Anra7777 All powerful magic grammar hamster queen pirate.

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    You’re forgetting your brother’s body. :p
     
  10. Harry

    Harry Now you see me

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    Actually i want to write move on and live while singing "pet shop boys - You're always on my mind and Beatles - Let it be" and after the sad part will find new love and maybe harem however my other personality kick in
     
  11. Bad Storm

    Bad Storm no thought, head empty

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    I don't want to answer simply because it's a hypothetical situation and I absolutely have no clue how I would respond if it happens. While I want to say that I am altruistic enough to pay for the expenses, I don't know if I could ever put a price on it. What if I set a price, then suddenly there were unexpected charges? There's a possibility that I would either go over my initial estimate or suddenly quit halfway through helping...

    I honestly don't know...
     
  12. prongsjiisan

    prongsjiisan Apostle of Violence

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    Add everything to the poll that will makes poll better. I mean everything option.
     
  13. HNCKrstl

    HNCKrstl 《The Đevîl's Cøñsørt》『♡Hayyan's Female Version』

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    Exactly that. It's one thing to be in debt your whole life but, making your kids pay your debts is just wrong.

    So, yes..I would pay as much as I can while being able to survive the days at least by eating one meal per day and while living under a roof?! Does that sound too rude? I would never be able to refuse paying though. I'll probably find a way to pay it somehow.
     
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  14. Diametric

    Diametric Waifu Connoisseur

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    I'd say that's more inconvenient than convenient tbh :blobpeek:
     
  15. lychee

    lychee [- slightly morbid fruit -] ❀[ 恋爱? ]❀

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    Convenient for author-sama! :blobsmilehappyeyes::blobsmilehappyeyes::blobsmilehappyeyes:
     
  16. AMissingLinguist

    AMissingLinguist [Not Here][Blank Sect][Nuffian #N]

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    If it's a loved one, I would spend a lifetime paying off the debt for a chance of saving them. If I don't love them, then I would give them up. Also, I'm assuming that the price of the debt stays the same, but my income will increase. :sweating_profusely:
     
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  17. iampsyx

    iampsyx Have some rest, and let's do better tomorrow

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    I don't...want to subject anyone to a lifetime of debt (if they choose to stay and pay it off with me), not even to save their lives. It's my personal belief that a life where you're drowning in debt is not worth living at all.

    Since there is the possibility that resentment and regrets might breed over the years and effectively kill off any affection we have for each other, I will choose the amount I can pay off (alone) in 20 years max.
     
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  18. Kadmos1

    Kadmos1 Well-Known Member

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    What if the loved one was a nagging Flat-Earth mom-in-law?
     
  19. kkgoh

    kkgoh Well-Known Member

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    Totally agreed with @AliceShiki , the hypothetical scenario is flawed. A debt that passes on to surviving family members and generations to come makes absolutely no sense.

    Your scenario should be meant to evaluate how much you PERSONALLY are willing to sacrifice for your loved one. Not how much you're willing to sacrifice OTHER loved ones to save 1 loved one.
    Then you can work out a tangible value of what is a loved one's life worth TO YOU, while statistically blocking for other factors (your family and generations to come).
    Otherwise it's just like the stupid joke about your wife and mother drowning in a river and you can only save one.

    Because you could just as easily twist it into another scenario (common in most Asian translated novels), of a ruthless MC that sacrifices the lives of millions of other innocent people (not his own family) to revive his loved one. The authors are usually try to posit the value of a STRANGER's life. In this case, because MC doesn't have to empathize with the victims, he'll have less qualms doing so (i.e. Neo from Matrix).
    If I were given the option, I'd totally make Neo's choice. Because I've already been through a similar scenario.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2019
  20. Pyoo

    Pyoo ☀ Summer Melody ☀

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    why does it not make sense tho?
    I think it's a currently happening thing irl?
    If I want to gain my parent's assets as inheritance I would also have to gain their debts
    Or
    If any of my family take a "non-legal" or dodgy debt, there's nothing stopping the loan sharks from coming after me for repayment.

    your poll options are a bit too high, anything over 80x or 90x your annual income is effectively a more-than-lifetime debt