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How many lives did this statistically end vs the average violent criminal, and over how many years did this have to be a conscious choice.
by Avshalom 9y ago
How many lives did this statistically end vs the average violent criminal, and over how many years did this have to be a conscious choice.
- ams6110 9y agoImpossible to say. But we all statistically end lives by doing many ordinary things, such as driving to work. It satisfies the need revenge I guess.
- paulpauper 9y agoFar more people die in accidents than from emissions, but if people stopped driving it would indirectly cost lives in terms of econ stagnation, I suppose
- mikeash 9y agoThat’s not comparable. A commute kills perhaps a millionth or a billionth of a person. It’s sensible to focus much more attention on individual decisions that kill hundreds or thousands.
- geofft 9y agoThat seems like an argument to introduce incentive systems against driving to work, not an argument to remove incentive systems against other things that kill. (It doesn't have to be jail time: it could involve expanding public transit, or promoting urbanism over suburbanism, or introducing congestion charges, or regulating car ownership heavily, or lowering speed limits, or lots of other things.)
- Avshalom 9y agoI'd bet he also drove to work.
- wfo 9y agoSure that makes sense if when I drive to work I say to myself "I know it's illegal to drive a car because it kills people, but I don't really care who I kill because I want to save a couple of bucks". And then following that I say "also I'll sell my driving services to hundreds of thousands but lie to them about how I get them to work, because if they knew I was driving they'd balk because they don't want blood on their hands" And then following that I say "also I'll invest in complex technology to hide my car from the police so that I will never be caught" With those minor modifications your scenario is a totally reasonable analogy.
- fleitz 9y agoIt probably net extended lives by allowing those benefitting from the better gas milage to enjoy a higher standard of living.
- mulmen 9y agoLife is a zero sum game?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- randyrand 9y agoHow many lives and future lives are you killing by driving a gasoline vehicle? Probably quite a few when you consider your actions will have an impact for thousands of years. Perhaps this is a silly way to look at things.
- vinc 9y agoOr perhaps this is a very valid way to look at things and it will make you reconsider driving a gasoline vehicle if you can. Personally I have the option to ride a bike and electric (nuclear+hydro) trains instead of driving a car, so that's what I do.