JLrep
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The premise that human lives can be treated in straightforward arithmetical terms (e.g., that two lives are twice as valuable as one, and twelve are three times as valuable as four, and so on) seems to me to lead to some disquieting places.
Specifically, it seems that any time we can definitely save two lives by killing one person, we ought to do so without hesitation, or at least seriously consider it. Yes, there is damage done by the killing—grieving loved ones, the loss of a good chef—but if the value of a human life is as high as we tend to think it is, it probably outweighs that damage. If six people... (read more)
I have a related question, as one still new to lesswrong: are there existing sequences on the philosophy behind/connected to utilitarianism, by which I mean, the notion that human lives, or life in general, has value? I assume there is either a sequence regarding this, or else a consensus which is generally accepted by the readers of this site (a consensus which, I hope, is nevertheless written out somewhere).