Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucsfcca.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca!dick
From: dick@ucsfcca.UUCP (Dick Karpinski)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: What price safety? (was: Escape tower for shuttle orbiter?)
Message-ID: <463@ucsfcca.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Mar-86 05:55:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ucsfcca.463
Posted: Mon Mar 24 05:55:23 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Mar-86 01:21:13 EST
References: <418@watcgl.UUCP> <627@bentley.UUCP> <2024@peora.UUCP> <635@bentley.UUCP> <12388@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <2035@peora.UUCP>
Reply-To: dick@ucsfcca.UUCP (Dick Karpinski)
Organization: UCSF Computer Center
Lines: 45
Summary: Life DOES have a dollar value.

In article <2035@peora.UUCP> jer@peora.UUCP writes:
>
>This definition of a "value of life" is one that was proposed earlier, but
>it is not one that I accept in making my assertion.  I maintain that no
>dollar value can be placed on anybody's life; by demonstration I would point
>out that murder is a capital offense, not one that a person can pay a fine
>as punishment for.
> ...
>However, I in fact don't have airbags in my car, despite the fact that
>I believe in them.  The sole reason I don't is that they are so expensive.
I believe that you are misled by feeling that money is dirty or some
such.  There is no need to make murder an infraction punishable by
fine, just because there is a value for human life.  We need to have
and use such a financial value in order to compare apples and apples.
The true beauty of the invention of money is in making such comparison
easy.  Karl Marx showed some of the remaining problems, but we need
not avoid the useful aspects of the abbreviation.  Just convert it all
to generic "value units" if dollar values on human life give you creeps.

>Now, I realize that having them would be safer; however, I don't feel that
>it would be safer in proportion to the cost.  
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Exactly; if you use dollars, it works out cleanly.

>But note that this reasoning has nothing to do with "value of life", on
>which I maintain no dollar value can be placed.  

Huh?

>If I (somewhat subjectively)
>feel that paying $x more is "not worth it" in terms of the extra safety
>gained, then I won't do it.  

Why not use dollars?  If you like, I can help you make your "feelings"
consistent with each other.  The literature on decision analysis makes
many references to such devices to help folks who otherwise have no
rational way to compare their alternatives.

Dick
-- 

Dick Karpinski    Manager of Unix Services, UCSF Computer Center
UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf!dick   (415) 476-4529 (12-7)
BITNET: dick@ucsfcca   Compuserve: 70215,1277  Telemail: RKarpinski
USPS: U-76 UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143