The Sanctity of Human Life

[clarsct]

I hear a lot about this. The sanctity of human life. Do we still believe in this? That our lives are somehow sacred, or more sacred than that, of say, a hippopotamus? Or that any life is sacred? Why? Is it just because we want others to see our own lives as sacred? People die every day. So what's so damned sacred? Is this just a speciocentric way of saying we are holy? Holy to who, or what? God? Ourselves?

It might be prudent to point out that insurance companies calculate the worth of a life on a daily basis. I'm thinking that sacred doesn't come into play, somehow. Is this just a saying we employ without thinking of the consequences?

Any thoughts?

 

[KelvinG]

Our lives are sacred because we have assigned value to them. As the most intelligent creatures on this planet, we recognize that life is precious, yet fleeting. So, it's nothing more than a label. Unless of course you are a religious type that believes we truly are more important or valueable than all other forms of life on Earth. Chosen by God, if you will.

However, there is nothing to say that we can't all decide tomorrow that the dung beetle's life is sanctuous and hail it with the same reverance that we do are own lives. It probably won't happen. But it could.

 

[Ratman_tf]

I hear a lot about this. The sanctity of human life. Do we still believe in this? That our lives are somehow sacred, or more sacred than that, of say, a hippopotamus? Or that any life is sacred? Why? Is it just because we want others to see our own lives as sacred? People die every day. So what's so damned sacred? Is this just a speciocentric way of saying we are holy? Holy to who, or what? God? Ourselves?

It might be prudent to point out that insurance companies calculate the worth of a life on a daily basis. I'm thinking that sacred doesn't come into play, somehow. Is this just a saying we employ without thinking of the consequences?

Any thoughts?

The native americans say that everything is sacred. I rather like that idea.

 

[Batman Jr.]

Re: Re: The Sanctity of Human Life

The native americans say that everything is sacred. I rather like that idea.

Then where will I be able to poop? Or would feces then be sacred, too, so that it couldn't be used for the purposes of desecration?

 

[Iacchus]

It seems sad that man's relationship with the earth is more like that of a parasite.

 

[clarsct]

KelvinG:
So we are sacred to ourselves. Is this a hypocrisy?

Ratman_tf: So did you eat any sacred beings today?

Batman Jr.: So is anything sacred? Why or why not?

lacchus: The Earth is a living being? A parasite makes its living off of a host, that is to say, another living being.

 

[Iacchus]

lacchus: The Earth is a living being? A parasite makes its living off of a host, that is to say, another living being.

As if to say there was nothing fundamentally alive about the planet? The earth is full of life.

 

[Yahweh]

I hear a lot about this. The sanctity of human life. Do we still believe in this? That our lives are somehow sacred, or more sacred than that, of say, a hippopotamus? Or that any life is sacred? Why? Is it just because we want others to see our own lives as sacred? People die every day. So what's so damned sacred? Is this just a speciocentric way of saying we are holy? Holy to who, or what? God? Ourselves?

It might be prudent to point out that insurance companies calculate the worth of a life on a daily basis. I'm thinking that sacred doesn't come into play, somehow. Is this just a saying we employ without thinking of the consequences?

Any thoughts?

Here is my experience with people who believe in a sanctity of life:

Me: How do you feel about abortion / euthanasia / assisted suicide / Terri Schiavo / etc.

Them: I am shocked by it all! Dont they know life is sacred?

Me: What did you have for lunch today, by the way?

Them: A cheeseburger.

Me: You clearly dont believe life is sacred then, you've just contributed to the destruction of a living being.

Them: Oh, let me correct myself - I meant human life is sacred.

Me: How does being a member of a certain species suddenly make your life sacred?

---

At about this point, the question cannot be answered in any coherent way without appeals to religion.

Almost always, when asked "why is human life sacred", the answer lends itself to life statements like "humans have a future", "humans can contribute to the world positively", etc. - all of these reasons are perfectly valid to justify that human life has instrumental value, but has preciously little to do with considering human life sacred at all.

Its probably a moral taboo to desanctify human life, but I'm not convinced there are any reasons which coherently define human life to be the only life sacred enough to protect out of all the other forms of life on the planet.

I certainly think the idea that certain life has a great deal of instrumental value can be defended. But, the idea of "sanctity of life" is hardly defensible at all.

 

[Donks]

As if to say there was nothing fundamentally alive about the planet? The earth is full of life.

How deep does life go? Right down to the core?

 

[Beady]

Re: Re: The Sanctity of Human Life

At about this point, the question cannot be answered in any coherent way without appeals to religion.[/B]

Yes it can: "My life is sacred; yours isn't. I will gladly sacrifice your life for my own survival, should the occasion demand." I'm not saying that this is necessarily my own answer, just that it's a possible answer.

Almost always, when asked "why is human life sacred", the answer lends itself to life statements like "humans have a future", "humans can contribute to the world positively", etc. - all of these reasons are perfectly valid to justify that human life has instrumental value, but has preciously little to do with considering human life sacred at all.

Human life is sacred to humans because a) humans are the planet's dominant life form (I said "dominant," not "most prevalent"), and therefore make the rules, and b) if we both agree that human life is sacred, then neither of us has anything to fear from the other. The idea of "The Sanctity of Human Life" has survival value for the species. The person who does not believe in it is more liable to take human life, and is therefore a potential threat to all other humans.

 

[clarsct]

lacchus, meet Donks. Donks, meet lacchus. Opposite corners and come out swinging....
(BTW I agree with Donks. The Gaia hypothesis doesn't hold water.)

Yahweh, The sacredness of human life is clearly an appeal to religion. Which is why I ask the question. As a sceptic and an atheist, would we believe in this. If we don't, then that brings us to Beady's point. There is a certain surivial value to this concept....on a personal level. In reality, we are our own worst competition. We eat off the same plate. So does this sanctity make sense, in the long run? If a sceptic does not believe in the sanctity of human life, then is he more likely to kill another human being, as Beady implies? Would it be a bad or good thing to do so? Are there positives to, say, legalized dueling? Or a routine medical triage in hospitals to determine who is worth the resources to save?( I have heard of hospitals wanting to use computers to calculate this very type of cost/rewards to treatment.) If we don't believe in the sanctity of life, then are our bets off? Of course, there are other moral concerns to address, but does removing this restriction change the way you think about them? Why or why not?

Personally, my jury is still out on this one, and it is a thorny little problem...which is why all the questions..

 

[Donks]

lacchus, meet Donks. Donks, meet lacchus. Opposite corners and come out swinging....
(BTW I agree with Donks. The Gaia hypothesis doesn't hold water.)

Heh. I've just read enough of Iacchus' posts to know that any sort of discussion is pretty much futile. And he isn't as entertaining as Kumar.

 

[username]

'Sacred' has unfortunate religious overtones, but it otherwise describes the reality of how social animals generally percieve themselves. There is a preference among social animals for their own kind and generally will work together for a common goal with no apparent regard for other species.

To call this sacred is, IMO, to make it something it is not, but on balance this view isn't a terrible thing. It is, as has been mentioned, a survival trait for the species.

In today's populated world we may believe abortion is the woman's right to choose. If there were a disaster and only a few hundred people remained on this planet I really doubt anyone would tolerate a woman having an abortion. Life would again become sacred.

 

[Beady]

If a sceptic does not believe in the sanctity of human life, then is he more likely to kill another human being, as Beady implies?

Not just a skeptic; anybody. Holding human life sacred is an attitude, an internal prohibition against the act of taking a human life. Laws against murder, etc, are not prohibitions against a future act, but punishments for a previous act. If you remove the attitude, you remove the prohibition; all you have left for protection is the fear of punishment, and I think we all know how well that works in protecting human life.

 

[KelvinG]

KelvinG:
So we are sacred to ourselves. Is this a hypocrisy?

I'm sacred to myself. I don't think that's hypocrisy.

 

[Beady]

I'm sacred to myself. I don't think that's hypocrisy.

I'd call it honesty and self-respect.

 

[Iacchus]

How deep does life go? Right down to the core?

Okay, how many other "living planets" are there that we know of? And I'm not necessarily speaking of the "Gaia Principle" either ... albeit I haven't ruled that possibility out.

Oh, yeah, what is an "eco-system" by the way?

 

[Donks]

Okay, how many other "living planets" are there that we know of? And I'm not necessarily speaking of the "Gaia Principle" either ... albeit I haven't ruled that possibility out.

Oh, yeah, what is an "eco-system" by the way?

Fighting questions with questions? Did I say anything about other planets?

 

[Cosmo]

Re: Re: Re: The Sanctity of Human Life

...humans are the planet's dominant life form (I said "dominant," not "most prevalent"), and therefore make the rules...

[derail]

Interestingly enough, I remember reading somewhere that there's now more transistors on the planet than insects!

[/derail]

 

[Iacchus]

Fighting questions with questions? Did I say anything about other planets?

What, are you living in a vacuum or something?