Related to this essay: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html It is taboo to plainly talk about the value of human life, yet ev

Related to this essay: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html It is taboo to plainly talk about the value of human life, yet everybody is making such calculations every day, though almost entirely at the subconscious level. Consider the following pairs of people. Imagine that you must choose death for one out of each pair. A sick 90 year old man, a healthy 5 year old child. A terminally ill mother, a middle aged man in jail for multiple violent felonies. Your young child, a young child living in South Sudan. A woman with a lifetime of schizophrenia, an undocumented worker who is trimming your trees. Your spouse, your child. These kinds of questions are uncomfortable to consider, and the answers are very personal. I wonder: are the benefits of such conscious valuations greater than possible downsides?