Quote:
Originally Posted by BoLevi
I'm not directly addressing the OP's point - I'm disagreeing that there is a dilemma present.
Things we know:
1. People do not value other people's lives equally. I believe this is self evident. (We would not save a stranger instead of our child.)
2. People do not value lives above property. They value some lives above property, depending on their relationship. This is almost a universal truth, with very few exceptions. We know this because almost every individual on the planet does not use their excess financial capacity to maximize the wellbeing of strangers.
So the scenario that the OP defines isn't a dilemma at all. It is simply a single data point in the marketplace. The "decider" in this case, is assessing the value (to the decider) of the human life in question and making a decision.
Some posters here have suggested that human life has a universal and sacrosanct value. This is not an absolute truth, although it is a reflection of how that poster values the life in question here. (My theory is that his view is simply a reflection of the increased value we put on life if we are in close proximity). Humanity has made it quite clear that the value of human life is not absolute, it is relative.
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Thanks for the follow up.
I think this is a great description of how lives are valued in day-to-day life. I guess the next question would be whether the bomber's action could be justified on a similar basis. Maybe a scenario where the bomber is going to get an immense amount of joy from blowing up the house. It's not his house, but it is his joy. If the value that matters varies from person to person even in the same context, the house would not matter from the bomber's perspective.
My take is that there is some moral value in the house and the bomber's life. I really can't say that that fact decides whether the homeowner ought to yell "don't shoot" for me, but I think it at least points toward moral value separate from the particular views of either the homeowner or the bomber in the scenario.