Ahh, but we're all paid in some way or another. Generally, the higher the positive impact someone has in society, the higher they are paid. Now, you can point at entertainers and feel you've found a flaw in that idea, but they have the impact of making people happy. If people didn't enjoy watching baseball they wouldn't attend games, watch them on tv, or buy the merchandise sold by MLB. Granted, they don't have any measurable impact on our lives, but there is a discernible euphoric gain whenever we watch our team win. It makes us happy. One can say 'well isn't a firefighter more important than a baseball player'? Perhaps, but the baseball players effect is more widespread, and making people happy helps them contribute to the rest of society in a more positive light.presidentsheep wrote:
As far as a life goes, yes. nothing normally gives you the right to take that away from something else. Net impact on others seems to involve monetary worth, personally i'd judge it based on other things.JohnG@lt wrote:
You really believe that all lives are equal in the grand scheme of things? A persons value is derived from their net positive impact on others. A jobless basement dweller is rather valueless in comparison to a businessman who started a company from scratch and now employs thousands of people. A wealthy socialite may or may not have more value than a firefighter who risks his life running into buildings and saving the life of others based on their level of philanthropy. It's all about that net positive impact. Striving for mediocrity in life doesn't help anyone.presidentsheep wrote:
The murder of an animal affects that animal to. Why are some lives worth more, or less, than others?
Possessing wealth is far from a perfect indicator of a persons value because there are of course people who accumulate it via devious means. It does however give us a starting point from which to work.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat