Sure human life has value to other humans, that is one of the reasons we survived as a species.

Will the universe function without life. Yes. Then there is no intrinsic importance to it.
Since I don't believe in a "master plan",  all we have is our selfish gene for survival.
Make of it what you will.

(June 21, 2015 at 5:27 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Rationally, I value my own life.  Because I am consistent I value in others that which I share with others, that which I value in myself.  The more something shares with me, the more similar I am to something, the more value I assign it, because, again, value starts right here (and ofc the more dissimilar, the -less- I value it).  This is why, for example, I assign the utmost value to your life, and less value to a dogs life.....while the dog's life is valued (by me) more than the life of a mollusk.

Biologically?  My pain response is autonomous, my fear response is autonomous.  My heart beats without my conscious control (and I couldn't will it to stop if I tried).  I am -incapable- of not valuing my life, every part of me, from the machinery "on up"...if there even is an up...screams to me to preserve that which I am, alive.  Even if the "on up" bit of me -tried- through ignorance or mistake...to off itself, my machinery might yank the wheel out of that humunculous' hands because clearly...it doesn't know wtf it's doing...and it's time for a better qualified operator.  I can't help it, that's the situation my biology places me in, regarding my valuing human life.  

(I was asking you if you thought that human life had value, ofc.)

Thanks for the well thought out response.

Now to answer you.

Yes, I believe human life has inherent value. That means it is itself valuable. It is not conditional. It is not valuble only if other people value it. It is valuable because it is. That is the very nature of it.

In the same way that grass is green, life is valuable.

Obviously, I believe this because I believe that God created human life, and that He created it with value.

I do not think any person's life is worth any less or any more than any other person's life, and the value of a person's life cannot be taken away or diminished by anyone/anything else.

Therefore, I believe that the life of a saint is as valuable as the life of the worst kind of criminal.
The life of a human is as valuable while it is still in the womb, as it is when it is out of the womb, and as it is when it is on its death bed being eaten up by cancer.

Yes, I believe human life has inherent value.

---

(June 21, 2015 at 5:31 pm)Mr.wizard Wrote: Sure human life has value to other humans, that is one of the reasons we survived as a species.

Inherent is the key word on my OP question. ;-)

Quote:Are you able to explain why you think human life has inherent value, and how you came to that conclusion?

For me (at least) it is axiomatic.  All things have value, human beings are things.  As a check, try to think of something - anything at all - that is utterly valueless.  Can't be done.
As Chad intimated, I'm slightly bigoted as regards human value because I have a vested interest in it - I'm human.  If I were to be attacked by, say, a wild dog, I would do what I could to protect myself, up to and including killing the dog, because I value my life more than I value a dog's.  Although the dog may operate to a different standard. 
Boru

(June 21, 2015 at 5:43 pm)ignoramus Wrote: Will the universe function without life. Yes. Then there is no intrinsic importance to it.
Since I don't believe in a "master plan",  all we have is our selfish gene for survival.
Make of it what you will.

Clear cut, honest response.

Thank you.

You and I agree, I just didn't need a god to get me there.  If you stopped believing in god would you change your mind about that value?
(btw, the value you've described isn't inherent, it's assigned.....by god. Had god assigned that value to mushrooms, created them with value you reserve for human beings........ You see, it's nothing about us, not inherent to us..in your description...it's about god, and what god did.)

(June 21, 2015 at 4:19 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Brian and Chad,

Thanks guys!

Are you able to explain why you think human life has inherent value, and how you came to that conclusion?

Why wouldn't it? Existence brings value to someone. Or something. I consider myself having value, and my life has been made better by some people, so I can see the value in others.

I don't assign a consistent value to the various lives I encountered.

You might be surprised how many strangers I would trade to get Brian back and not feel a quantum of regret.

(June 21, 2015 at 5:46 pm)Rhythm Wrote: You and I agree, I just didn't need a god to get me there.  If you stopped believing in god would you change your mind about that value?
(btw, the value you've described isn't inherent, it's assigned.....by god.  Had god assigned that value to mushrooms, created them with value you reserve for human beings........  You see, it's nothing about us, not inherent to us..in your description...it's about god, and what god did.)

If I stopped believing in God, I would not change my mind about human life having inherent value because it is so engrained into me.

But I would have a hard time justifying my claim that it does.

(I'm not sure what you mean. Yes, God did create us with value... but it's still about us because He made us that way. So we are that way.)

(June 21, 2015 at 5:44 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote:

(June 21, 2015 at 5:27 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Rationally, I value my own life.  Because I am consistent I value in others that which I share with others, that which I value in myself.  The more something shares with me, the more similar I am to something, the more value I assign it, because, again, value starts right here (and ofc the more dissimilar, the -less- I value it).  This is why, for example, I assign the utmost value to your life, and less value to a dogs life.....while the dog's life is valued (by me) more than the life of a mollusk.

Biologically?  My pain response is autonomous, my fear response is autonomous.  My heart beats without my conscious control (and I couldn't will it to stop if I tried).  I am -incapable- of not valuing my life, every part of me, from the machinery "on up"...if there even is an up...screams to me to preserve that which I am, alive.  Even if the "on up" bit of me -tried- through ignorance or mistake...to off itself, my machinery might yank the wheel out of that humunculous' hands because clearly...it doesn't know wtf it's doing...and it's time for a better qualified operator.  I can't help it, that's the situation my biology places me in, regarding my valuing human life.  

(I was asking you if you thought that human life had value, ofc.)

Thanks for the well thought out response.

Now to answer you.

Yes, I believe human life has inherent value. That means it is itself valuable. It is not conditional. It is not valuble only if other people value it. It is valuable because it is. That is the very nature of it.

In the same way that grass is green, life is valuable.

Obviously, I believe this because I believe that God created human life, and that He created it with value.

I do not think any person's life is worth any less or any more than any other person's life, and the value of a person's life cannot be taken away or diminished by anyone/anything else.

Therefore, I believe that the life of a saint is as valuable as the life of the worst kind of criminal.
The life of a human is as valuable while it is still in the womb, as it is when it is out of the womb, and as it is when it is on its death bed being eaten up by cancer.

Yes, I believe human life has inherent value.

---

(June 21, 2015 at 5:31 pm)Mr.wizard Wrote: Sure human life has value to other humans, that is one of the reasons we survived as a species.

Inherent is the key word on my OP question. ;-)

The value on human life is what we make it, it may be inherent to humans to put value on human life but that value is not going to be the same to an alligator or a bird, they could care less if we live or die.