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TuviaDulin comments on Circular Altruism - Less Wrong
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Define "serious". Specify one harm X that is just barely not serious, and one Y that is just a little worse, and is serious. Verify that you can find an N such that YN > 1 human life, and that there is no N such that XN > 1 human life.
X = losing a finger. Y = losing a hand.
Losing a finger is traumatic and produces chronic disfigurement and loss of some manual dexterity, but (as long as it isn't a thumb or index finger) it isn't going to truly handicap someone. Losing a hand WILL truly handicap someone. I would rather everyone lose a finger than one person lose a hand.
Actually, let's make it closer. X = losing a finger, Y = losing a thumb. My answer would still be the same. Missing a finger isn't a huge setback. Missing a thumb is.