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Traffic deaths do not provide a useful scale here. They are typically not intentional and everyone understands that you take risks when you ride in an automobil

Traffic deaths do not provide a useful scale here. They are typically not intentional and everyone understands that you take risks when you ride in an automobile. An act of terrorism, even if it causes no casualties, is cause for great concern because innocent civilians are being deliberately targeted.

shkkmo 11y ago
They provide a completely useful scale when you are taking about society accepting a certain level of risk as the cost of having some value. As a society, we have decided that the deaths caused by cars are worth the mobility and convenience they provide. I personally think freedom and equality are worth at least as much as cars.
- jerven 11y ago
  I think this is a fantastic comment and I completely agree with it. If we are willing to accept thousands of dead people so we get to work on time, we should well accept thousands of dead people for our core liberties and beliefs. Its difficult to think this clearly when shocked by an unusual circumstance but its the better way to live.
- zo1 11y ago
  As a person part of this society you speak of, I disagree. Every life is sacred, and even as a full-on anarcho-capitalist I will agree that a ridiculous police-state is justified to defend the individuals within our society. I say that because that is the path we have chosen, by virtue of having a state. Otherwise, we're essentially rehashing the old "the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few".
  - TeMPOraL 11y ago
    > Otherwise, we're essentially rehashing the old "the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few". As we should be, because it's the only reasonable and self-consistent moral philosophy you can have! Of course, in real life you need to plug in some numbers and do some math - it's not a binary problem. If you really believe every life is sacred and "a ridiculous police-state is justified to defend the individuals within our society", then why haven't we banned cars yet? And jailed all the drivers? As a group, they kill people. They kill a lot more than any terrorist attack ever.
    - gluelogic 11y ago
      You will find a lot of people, especially here, in support of the future of self-driving cars.
      - TeMPOraL 11y ago
        I support that future too. Because "good of the many" who won't have to die in an accident "outweights the need of the few" who want to enjoy themselves on public roads.

shkkmo 11y ago

They provide a completely useful scale when you are taking about society accepting a certain level of risk as the cost of having some value. As a society, we have decided that the deaths caused by cars are worth the mobility and convenience they provide. I personally think freedom and equality are worth at least as much as cars.

jerven 11y ago
I think this is a fantastic comment and I completely agree with it. If we are willing to accept thousands of dead people so we get to work on time, we should well accept thousands of dead people for our core liberties and beliefs. Its difficult to think this clearly when shocked by an unusual circumstance but its the better way to live.
zo1 11y ago
As a person part of this society you speak of, I disagree. Every life is sacred, and even as a full-on anarcho-capitalist I will agree that a ridiculous police-state is justified to defend the individuals within our society. I say that because that is the path we have chosen, by virtue of having a state. Otherwise, we're essentially rehashing the old "the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few".
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  > Otherwise, we're essentially rehashing the old "the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few". As we should be, because it's the only reasonable and self-consistent moral philosophy you can have! Of course, in real life you need to plug in some numbers and do some math - it's not a binary problem. If you really believe every life is sacred and "a ridiculous police-state is justified to defend the individuals within our society", then why haven't we banned cars yet? And jailed all the drivers? As a group, they kill people. They kill a lot more than any terrorist attack ever.
  - gluelogic 11y ago
    You will find a lot of people, especially here, in support of the future of self-driving cars.
    - TeMPOraL 11y ago
      I support that future too. Because "good of the many" who won't have to die in an accident "outweights the need of the few" who want to enjoy themselves on public roads.