The Intrinsic Value of Life: Beyond Money and Calculations

Can it be calculated into money, should it be? Society today tries to give everything a price nowadays even when it comes to human life. When it comes to “value” I think people get it confused with money. Everybody associates value with money but when it comes to value there has to be meaning behind it. Everyone's life has a different meaning that is valuable to this world and to others in many different ways. I think people tend to forget how valuable one's life can actually be.

A lot of people think their lives are meaningless and have no value or even a reason to live but they don’t realize the impact they have on family and friends. They don’t realize how valuable they are to the ones around them. Today society teaches us to believe the more money you make the more valuable your life will be. This is not true at all because you can make all the money in the world but it will never buy you happiness.

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The article “What is a Life Worth?” by Amanda Ripley’s, is about putting a price on human life. A poor workman, named Joseph Hewins, was hit by a train and left his wife and three children behind. When the wife sued she had no luck and lost every time she tried. At that time, when a man died he would take his legal claims with him, now the courts put a dollar value on a life after death.

“The concept of assigning a price tag to life has always made people intensely squeamish. After all, isn’t it degrading to presume that money can make a family whole again? And what of the disparities? Is a poor man’s life worth less than a rich mans? (Ripley). Someone's life shouldn’t be seen as worth more than someone who makes less than them. Our lives all share different values and meanings to one another we shouldnt place a price on them. You can have all the money in the world but it doesn't give you the right to be rude to others as if your life is worth more.

The article, “What is a Life Worth,” by Amanda Ripley, also talks about the families of the tragic 9/11incident and how they were economically compensated for the loss of their loved ones. This calculation was determined by the income the person had been receiving prior to the tragedy. The goal of the government monetary compensation was to provide a more stable economic situation for the families that depended on these people for the majority income. Ripley interviews several people, who all had different opinions, especially the ones who were angry by the amount they received. Most people blamed the government for an unequal and unjust way of going about the distribution of money, bringing in the actual value of life, rather than the financial compensation. Someone anonymously wrote to the Department of Justice's Web page on victim compensation, "I'm shocked and appalled and very disappointed that some individuals are living in such a rare and well-gilded ivory tower that they feel $250,000 is not sufficient compensation. Most of us, the working people of America, make $20,000 to $40,000 per year. Where do these wealthy, spoiled, greedy folks in New York get off, pretending that what happened to them was so uniquely horrible? I'm over it. Yeah, it was unique. Yeah, it was horrible. Yeah, I sent money to help. And after reading about them suing for more money, I begin to regret it." The government should not be giving families more money than others. The families should not be treated any differently than each other. If the government is going to give justice then they need to do it right.

Our lives are all meaningful and valuable in our own unique ways. The government and society itself should not try to put a price on human life. When it comes to value after death the government should not look at the amount of money the person used to make rather than the needs of the family who are the ones that must go through losing a loved one. You can’t put a price on someone's life but the value of it comes from the person they are and how they help the world.