(updated following comments; the initial version of the poll was confusing)
Another post in our blog series on moral dilemmas. Although on some level, we cherish the equality of human beings and their equal worth, in practice we value people and their lives on the basis of their merit and desert.
More on desert. You can still vote on our other dilemmas here.
Are we still talking about dictators or about poor, unemployed people (or anyone in general)? Wouldn’t you agree that some actions of people, like dictators and murderers, limit what they are entitled to (like freedom of movement, etc.)? Yes, perhaps we can argue all human life is equal–but all actions that humans commit are surely not equal. I think I’m just a little confused by the options you give.
Ok, the examples I gave may be confusing. Let’s propose people just look at the questions (which means that we’re talking about people in general and non-criminal behavior).
Benjamin, you convinced me that I wasn’t being very clear. So I modified the post.
I can’t see the moral dilemma at all. People who can’t work because they are ill or disabled, haven’t done anything immoral.
Feeling sorry is an emotion. Emotions are not immoral. When people die, we naturally feel most sorry if we loved or knew the dead person.
But if I had to choose, I would feel most sorry when a “loser” dies. Because he or she didn’t have a good life. Poor people aren’t happy.
Sigrun, thank you for your comment. This comment, together with Benjamin’s below, convinced me that I wasn’t being very clear. So I modified the post.
Unfortunately, Sigrun, that is one of the “repugnant conclusions” of utilitarianism. What matters, in their imagination, is the consequences of actions; whether you’re trying to survive or not is of no importance. Obviously poor and unemployed people have not been maximizing utility, and that is morally wrong, in their view. In fact, from a purely utilitarian point of view, it is probably moral that these “burdens on society” do die. Yeah, I find that repugnant.
This is an interesting question to me, but what about practicalities? I suspect that we cannot make everyone equal if we tried. Equality has become a political instrument that you can use to club your opponents over the head. In the end, there is just not enough to go around. This obsession with equality is not healthy, IMHO.