# Most valuable human life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971 "2014-05-21T23:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/1 "2014-05-21T23:08:39Z")
(Mods, if this is a GD, please move) Over in the [Most completely false cliche/aphorism](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=546761) thread, **burpo the wonder mutt** cited “You can’t put a value on human life.” Now practically speaking a human life is currently worth about seven million dollars irrc. But presumably that’s for your average person. Are some people more valuable than others? I would say that measured either by how much is spent to keep someone alive, or how much it would cost to replace them there are a few likely candidates. One is the President of the United States. I don’t have a cite but I imagine the total bill for security measures over eight years is substantial. My best guess at second place would be fighter pilots. It’s long been known that an ace fighter pilot is vastly more effective than a merely competent pilot. This is reflected on how much the USAF spends on training the “Top Gun” elite, the best of the best, and also on how much expense of a fighter jet is devoted to pilot survival, even at the cost of adding weight. I would guess the life of a “Top Gun” is effectively worth tens of millions. Any other suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/2 "2014-05-21T23:12:52Z")
My daughter, of course! After her, I would guess the president. I can’t imagine how much money is spent not only on protecting him, but chasing down every possible threat that comes across someone’s desk. And the cost continues until his death, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/3 "2014-05-21T23:20:13Z")
I just thought of another: aren’t some Hollywood superstars insured for vast sums of money? Having your lead die after filming half of a $300,000,000 film has got to be an expensive proposition. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/4 "2014-05-22T00:02:34Z")
I’d say the Pope. Although being head of an organization that prizes humility and is funded by donations kind of limits your security spending. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/5 "2014-05-22T00:09:33Z")
Well, if you’re going by the value of the materials of the person, I guess it’s whoever is the fattest. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/6 "2014-05-22T00:17:31Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > I’d say the Pope. Although being head of an organization that prizes humility and is funded by donations kind of limits your security spending. The OP’s question can be answered so many ways I’m not going to comment. But your second sentence is somewhat wide of the mark: your local RC church may be funded by donations but head office is an immensely wealthy organisation with income producing assets worth billions. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/7 "2014-05-22T00:22:01Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > The OP’s question can be answered so many ways I’m not going to comment. But your second sentence is somewhat wide of the mark: your local RC church may be funded by donations but head office is an immensely wealthy organisation with income producing assets worth billions. A rich person’s life isn’t necessarily more valuable than a poor person’s; I stated the standard I’m measuring by in the OP: money spent on preservation, or replacement cost. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/8 "2014-05-22T00:25:08Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Now practically speaking a human life is currently worth about seven million dollars irrc. Where did this figure come from? ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/9 "2014-05-22T00:28:40Z")
CEOs and other important corporate officers often have their lives insured by the company for millions of dollars. It’s called key man insurance, or, more updated, key person insurance. This is over and above any personal life insurance, which is payable to their estate. So, without exaggeration, you could say that certain CEOs lives are worth many millions of dollars, probably into the hundreds of millions. > **[Key person insurance](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Key_person_insurance)** > > Key person insurance, also called keyman insurance, is an important form of business insurance. There is no legal definition of "key person insurance". In general, it can be described as an insurance policy taken out by a business to compensate that business for financial losses that would arise from the death or extended incapacity of an important member of the business. To put it simply, key person insurance is a standard life insurance or trauma insurance policy that is used for business succe... Here is an article about an Indianapolis electronics retailer who insured their CEO for $44 million. > **[HHGregg gets $40M from life insurance on former CEO - Indianapolis Business...](https://www.ibj.com/articles/32938-hhgregg-gets-40m-from-life-insurance-on-former-ceo)** > > HHGregg has collected a $40 million payout from a life insurance policy it took out on former executive chairman Jerry W. Throgmartin, who died in January after a sudden illness. If this obscure person is worth $44 million, I tremble to think what a Zuckerberg or Jobs is worth. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/10 "2014-05-22T00:33:53Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > It’s long been known that an ace fighter pilot is vastly more effective than a merely competent pilot. This is reflected on how much the USAF spends on training the “Top Gun” elite, the best of the best, and also on how much expense of a fighter jet is devoted to pilot survival, even at the cost of adding weight. I would guess the life of a “Top Gun” is effectively worth tens of millions. Any other suggestions? “Top Gun” is a slang term for the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School. The Air Force doesn’t spend any money on it. The Air Force has it’s own Fighter Weapons School…with different programs for different types of aircraft. An “Ace” is a pilot with 5 or more air to air kills. These days that status is not so much a reflection of skill as it is being in the right place at the right time. Lots of fighter pilots never even get a chance to score a single air to air kill, much less 5 or more. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/11 "2014-05-22T00:51:12Z")
AIUI the very best pilots are _less_ likely to be sent into combat (at least after they’ve completed a combat tour or two) because they’re more valuable for training and testing purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/12 "2014-05-22T00:52:46Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > “Top Gun” is a slang term for the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School. The Air Force doesn’t spend any money on it. The Air Force has it’s own Fighter Weapons School…with different programs for different types of aircraft. > > An “Ace” is a pilot with 5 or more air to air kills. These days that status is not so much a reflection of skill as it is being in the right place at the right time. Lots of fighter pilots never even get a chance to score a single air to air kill, much less 5 or more. Actually, the names of the various schools have changed a bit since I was in, see [this wikipedia link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_Strike_Fighter_Tactics_Instructor_program) for details. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/13 "2014-05-22T02:27:27Z")
There’s no universal, objective value to a human life. The question must be followed by: “to whom?” My path may never cross that of Joe Blow in Peoria, and there may not be an indirect connection, so he would be of no measurable value to me. But to his partner and kids, relatives, work associates, friends, etc., he may have immense value. Values aren’t objective, they are always relative to the person doing the valuing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/14 "2014-05-22T02:45:21Z")
IMHO, my own life is more valuable than the sum total of the rest of mankind. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/15 "2014-05-22T03:17:58Z")
The President is replaceable. That’s why there is a defined chain of succession, after all. It’s the _position (“office”)_ of the President that they go to such elaborate lengths to protect. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/16 "2014-05-22T04:29:31Z")
A persons life value is directly related to how hard it is to take it away. If you are easy to kill, you are not worth much IMO. YVMV ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/17 "2014-05-22T04:31:40Z")
[The man with the golden arm](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1259627/Man-golden-arm-James-Harrison-saves-2million-babies-half-century-donating-rare-blood.html)would qualify. > [@](#): > > An Australian man who has been donating his extremely rare kind of blood for 56 years has saved the lives of more than two million babies. > James Harrison, 74, has an antibody in his plasma that stops babies dying from Rhesus disease, a form of severe anaemia. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/18 "2014-05-22T04:56:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > IMHO, my own life is more valuable than the sum total of the rest of mankind. No, mine is! ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/19 "2014-05-22T05:43:01Z")
I agree you can’t put a value on it, because it’s objectively worthless. In terms of supply and demand, there is no demand - everyone’s already got one. And considering how most people spend them, they aren’t highly prized. What would you pay to spend another 20 years doing what you’ve been doing the last 20 years? If you wouldn’t pay to do it again, why’d you do it the first go round? If life truly had value, people would act like it. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971/20 "2014-05-22T13:02:44Z")
Let’s please steer clear of philosophical discussions of the nature of “value” or the dignity of human life. I’ll rephrase it this way: what is the largest sum of money spent to prevent or indemnify someone’s death? **Erdosain** ’s post is more what I am looking for. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-valuable-human-life/688971.md?page=2)