“Economic analysis has found a way to overcome the ethical issue of giving value to a life; It adopted the concept of value of a statistical life. Instead of evaluating the life of a specific person, one evaluates in an abstract way, the value of saving one life in the population (without knowing which life)” . This method intends to install some needed rationality in an important debate about the optimal use of resources to save lives. Every life should be priceless; but we can’t save all and choices about the use of resources must be made.
Studies pinpoint the economic value of a statistical life to be in the range between 2 and 10 million USD. Basically, it means that a policy, or innovation, that can save a life for that amount, or less, should be pursued and another that cannot should be discarded. Despite the fact that this looks like a pretty good clear cut way to analyze a sensitive subject, there are still some issues.
The key word here is “abstract”; the concept of statistical life implies anonymity. And that difference in perception shows an interesting characteristic of human nature. A government initiative to save an unknown life (as an example, to improve security in mines) may not pass the cost-benefit analysis; however, if later we find someone in a situation of necessity (as the miners in Chile), the concept of statistical life becomes meaningless and there’s little debate about the resources being spent to save them. We already knew and felt that we value a life of one of our family much more than an anonymous life. But we also give much more value to a specific life, a name and a face, than to a statistical life. In fact, we believe the distance is much greater between these two than it is between the specific stranger and the family member. But should there be a difference in what we are willing to spend to save a specific person and an unknown?
Even ignoring for family members, a life is a life; saving a life shouldn’t be worth more if by chance we happen to know what the name of that person is. Even with the concept of statistical life, created to push towards rationalization in the use of resources, human nature will still be (thankfully) blocking the road towards ruthless efficiency. Knowing this, we can clearly understand that the concept of statistical life ends up being a diversion, a way to escape ourselves, so we can concentrate rationally on solving these issues, while at the same time recognize the impossibility that is to give a value on a specific person. It sure is interesting to see humans put up a good fight against a part of their nature and instincts.
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