Human life has no intrinsic value.

Human life is valued by many around the world, religions, philosophers, all value human life above all other life. Human life is treated as if it has intrinsic value that makes it better than all other life. I strongly disagree with this sentiment. If human life has intrinsic value, than either humans as a species are simply intrinsically valuable, or all life is intrinsically valuable. Neither of these sentiments are correct. Let's look at two situations.

1. Humans are simply the most intrinsically valuable species.
This sentiment is false, intrinsic value cannot occur because we happen to have the right DNA. Simply being a human does not separate us from other animals, except by saying that we are magically better. Humans themselves cannot have intrinsic value, as simply having the right DNA does not mean intrinsic value. This does not allow for an other species, even ones probably more extrinsically more valuable, to have any more intrinsic value than us. This is simply illogical, and cannot be justified.

2. All life is intrinsically valuable.
Again, this cannot be true. Life itself has no value, mosquitoes are most useful to the world in death, serving as food for predators. If all life was valuable in itself, than all death would be bad, which is certainly not true, life could not exist without death. Death is certainly good at times.

So this brings us to the conclusion that human lief is valuable for an extrinsic reason, not valuable in itself. Be it our intelligence, our self-awareness, or our futures that makes life valuable, it is certainly extrinsic, not intrinsic.

Definitions:

Value - relative worth.

Life - a period of animate existence.

Case:

A. All life has an intrinsic value when compared to all things dead. Life has potential. Life is of a higher value than no life.

B. Human life is a form of life. Human life is therefor intrinsically valuable.

"Value - relative worth.

Life - a period of animate existence.

Case:

A. All life has an intrinsic value when compared to all things dead. Life has potential. Life is of a higher value than no life.

B. Human life is a form of life. Human life is therefor intrinsically valuable."

I would like to focus on the statement "Life has potential." That is an extrinsic quality that makes life better than no life. My point is proven by this, life has extrinsic value, not intrinsic value.

I rest my case.

No, you're mistaken.

Life has potential, it can do things, it can function. This potential is something inherent, intrinsic of life. Something inanimate does not have this potential at all. The potential is therefor not intrinsic to something dead, lifeless or inanimate.

I'm not speaking of what the potential is. I don't care what you do with your potential. I'm simply stating, you, as a form of life, has potential. Having a potential is of a higher value than having no potential. Life is of a higher value than no life. Life has intrinsic value. Human life has intrinsic value.

Thanks for the speedy reply.

"Life has potential, it can do things, it can function. This potential is something inherent, intrinsic of life. Something inanimate does not have this potential at all. The potential is therefor not intrinsic to something dead, lifeless or inanimate."

The potential of life is extrinsic. For example, a human vegetable is alive, but effectively, it has no potential. Furthermore, a man who jumps out of a plane 30000 feet in the air without a parachute is alive at least until he hits the ground, but .000001 seconds before that happens, he has no potential. If it can be taken away, potential must be extrinsic.

Anything can be taken away in this world. To define intrinsic as something that cannot be taken away simply does not work.

A human vegetable (a brain dead person?) and a person facing imminent death still both have the ability to make action. They have through their life the ability to shape events that are happening. They have ability to impact the world. This is something that a inanimate object will NEVER have!

A real vegetable (ex: Carrot) cannot do much. But it can do something. It can effect the world, this is something an inanimate object can never do by itself. The potential to do something is an intrinsic value of anything possessing life. Human life has intrinsic value.