If a person has an accident and is no longer able to contribute to society, has their value as a person decreased, increased, or stayed the Same
What does it mean to contribute to society? There are plenty of fit and able people who hold down jobs yet are involved in activities that may cause widespread harm. Is a tobacco executive contributing to society? That same executive may be a wonderful parent and also contribute to charitable work. Your question also makes me want to ask: what counts as “value as a person” which seems to bring us to an intrinsic value system.
What about this? A doctor who treats cancer has a stroke and can no longer work in medicine. Has their value to society diminished?
Your question seems to ask about inherent value of human beings which many would say sits above and beyond “impairments” or whatever role or occupation a person has.
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It depends on who give people their worth.
If one seeks value from their job and achievements, then tough luck.
Me, I decided to not give a fuck about worth. When I had pets, they gave me my worth because they understood my words and they followed my requests. I also planted fruit trees that grew into flowering trees – that gave me my worth.
Next, I wanted to build an ADU, but I was told I need to spend a lot of viewing hours on youtube to learn how to build. So scrap that.
Greetings Tom I hope you are well and happy. The question is just that, a topic starter, one I was asked for me a simple question. First I pushed them for definitions of their wording. Which was weak. What did he mean or classified as an “ accident” of a person? And it’s very wide open, what is your definition of contribute? What are the parameters of his definition of, “ society,” the word “ accident” this vague and actually irrelevant. I founded a charity after Katrina working Hancock county where the eye came through, everything gone. Spent years rebuilding and many other projects. Responded to 10 natural disasters in the US.The work we do locally is too much to remember it all and in Uganda, many projects,orphanage,schools including one I was told I could never pull off a school for the deaf and disabled , children forgotten the culture, so poor not seen as children that could make needed money for the family to survive so not worth to spend what little money they had to educate deaf and disabled children. .i did do it currently have a student body of close to 500, and that’s over years of graduating children through. Not all made it to higher education but so many did, they only needed a chance. We have hade a good amount make it through university and to fashions. All schools, the children learn, sign language deaf, hearing or not so all the children communicate to each other. Plus, we would matriculate, deaf, children, and hearing school because they did so well in the deaf programs it could easily be educated with the hearing children. I teach chess at all our schools to all children including deaf, we have a national champion and place winner, all learning the game deaf!! We have farms, medical clinics, Clean Wells, sanitation program . Etc. i’m sure I was told I wouldn’t be able to do because of the concept, over 90% of the money raise goes directly to all the work we do, there are no salaries, including mine. Every trip anyone makes any location after to pay their own way. In Africa, I hire local workers to build the buildings. I don’t bring in our American people to do it, you’ve gotten in workers need the money much more. My charity is also made up of people of all races, religions, ages, abilities, and disabilities.One of our best men in many ways a good man has only one leg, and only one hip. The leg was torn off as bad. He’s one of the best hardest working most compassionate people on our team teams again one leg one hip. The rest was torn off in an accident doesn’t stop. I’m about we have volunteers for older, I didn’t think they could help anymore, but I always find jobs for them to do work that they can handle the same thing with children with disabilities mental disabilities or physical disabilities, etc. there’s always something that someone can do. The work we do always gets done and the people who thought themselves worthless or our society worthless always had something that they could do. They contribute to in someway we always found a way for them to contribute. My questions to have all types of “accident”s What is meant by “ society “ does that include only US, what of their families are they of value to the family more than just loving them. Does “ contribute and society” not include families helping around the house or did he not include family as part of . Local work includes with the homeless a Code Blue emergency winter shelter. Many of our homeless friends show up to projects to help us help others. I asked for his definition of “value” what constitutes value of a human being and who is to decide that? Even people may look down on like the homeless and people who have committed crimes back in society after serving their time. Does their dissipated because of mistakes? Even people in prison for crimes they should be there for, who sets a value on them? Who has the authority to judge a human value? There as a quote I love so much it’s tattooed on my forearm so I can always see it. It’s by Longfellow. “ if we could read into the secret histories of our enemies we shall find there and suffering enough to disarm all hostilities”. I, nor he nor anyone has the power or ability to judge and or set the values of other human beings. By the way you had some great examples. May you and all living beings be well and happy.
After using the automated proofreading:
Greetings Tom, I hope you are well and happy. The question is just that, a topic starter, one I was asked for a simple question. First I pushed them for definitions of their wording. Which was weak. What did he mean or classified as an “accident” of a person? And it’s very wide open: what is your definition of “contribute”? What are the parameters of his definition of “society”? The word “accident” is vague and actually irrelevant.
I founded a charity after Katrina, working in Hancock County where the eye came through; everything was gone. I spent years rebuilding and working on many other projects. I responded to 10 natural disasters in the US. The work we do locally is too much to remember, and in Uganda, there are many projects: orphanages, schools, including one I was told I could never pull off—a school for the deaf and disabled. Children forgotten by the culture, so poor they weren’t seen as children that could make needed money for the family to survive, so it wasn’t worth spending what little money they had to educate deaf and disabled children. I did it; currently, I have a student body of close to 500, and that’s over years of graduating children through. Not all made it to higher education, but so many did; they only needed a chance. We have had a good amount make it through university and to careers. All schools: the children learn sign language, deaf, hearing, or not, so all the children communicate to each other. Plus, we would matriculate deaf children and hearing school because they did so well in the deaf programs that they could easily be educated with the hearing children. I teach chess at all our schools to all children, including deaf; we have a national champion and place winner, all learning the game, deaf!
We have farms, medical clinics, clean wells, sanitation programs, etc. I’m sure I was told I wouldn’t be able to do it because of the concept; over 90% of the money raised goes directly to all the work we do. There are no salaries, including mine. Every trip anyone makes, they pay their own way to any location. In Africa, I hire local workers to build the buildings. I don’t bring in American people to do it; the local workers need the money much more.
My charity is also made up of people of all races, religions, ages, abilities, and disabilities. One of our best men, in many ways a good man, has only one leg and only one hip. The leg was torn off badly. He’s one of the best, hardest-working, most compassionate people on our team. Again, one leg, one hip; the rest was torn off in an accident, but it doesn’t stop him. I’m about to say we have volunteers for older people; I didn’t think they could help anymore, but I always find jobs for them to do work that they can handle. The same thing with children with disabilities—mental disabilities or physical disabilities, etc.—there’s always something that someone can do. The work we do always gets done, and the people who thought themselves worthless or that our society was worthless always had something that they could do. They contribute in some way; we always found a way for them to contribute.
My questions are: What is meant by all types of “accidents”? What is meant by “society”? Does that include only the US? What of their families? Are they of value to the family more than just loving them? Does “contribute to society” not include families helping around the house? Or did he not include family as part of it? Local work includes working with the homeless, a Code Blue emergency winter shelter. Many of our homeless friends show up to projects to help us help others. I asked for his definition of “value”: what constitutes value of a human being, and who is to decide that? Even people who may look down on, like the homeless and people who have committed crimes, back in society after serving their time. Does their value dissipate because of mistakes? Even people in prison for crimes they should be there for; who sets a value on them? Who has the authority to judge a human’s value?
There is a quote I love so much; it’s tattooed on my forearm so I can always see it. It’s by Longfellow: “If we could read into the secret histories of our enemies, we shall find there suffering enough to disarm all hostilities.” I, nor he, nor anyone has the power or ability to judge and/or set the values of other human beings. By the way, you had some great examples. May you and all living beings be well and happy.
Greetings, was not looking for an argument. Not sure how you could have read what I said as seeking an argument? I put out a question to discuss. I thought that’s what philosophy was about. Perhaps I’m at the wrong website. Be well.
Argument?
I inserted a few paragraphs to clean up the post.
It’s the star in the editing dialogue.
Welcome to the forum.
The point is: please use some kind of tool to clean up what you’ve written before posting it, and please separate it into paragraphs.
@Banno posted a cleaned-up and re-formatted version of your own post.
There is a proofreading tool built into the composer interface (where you write posts) but it might be better to find external tools. Grammarly, for example. All posts have to be written in standard English.
Greetings my friend I’m so sorry, was late too late to be reading and posting. Clearly, I read something into what wasn’t there. So thanks for the help. Thanks for the welcome.
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Greetings my friend I hope you and your family are well and happy. You write “All posts have to be written in standard English.” Thank you for your writing suggestions. I’m sure the suggestions were made with a good heart and best intentions. You have special rules, you have special rules. Your site your rules and I respect that. Sorry I’m not going to fit into your system of rules. I have movement disorders, somedays why hands shake not so badly somedays very badly so I’m left to voice to text. I am who I am and you will get the best my hands allow. With me you get what you get. Well would have gotten what you gotten. My mind also moves extremely fast many times too fast for voice to text and at times hands can’t keep up. As a famous sailor said “ I am who I am’s “. I spend time at other sites where members dig deeper into what I’m trying to say, the meanings. They understand me. I spend a good deal of time with AI in discussions of philosophy and complex conversations in relations to the cosmos. AI can make its way through any issues to the points i’m making. Of course it’s perfectly fine you have rules and I respect that, it’s your site. Thank you for my short time here, seems to be a group of wonderful and intelligent people. Though “All post HAVE to be written in standard English. Ouch 
Hello again. I was thinking over your response and after some thought 
don’t find your actual first comment/response which was concerning how I should conduct a conversation. That one seems to be missing as if it disappeared. You see’ when reading today’s post to me it is clearly a response to an earlier response by me to something you said to me
. Why would I have responded to you with concern you thought I was seeking an argument? It makes no logical sense. Take this step by step, post by post, it clearly doesn’t line up. Did someone take down one of their posts? Wondering minds. Be well.
my wife and I have a pug and I love flowering trees. Your value is for you to decide not anyone else. Be well
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i think there are two types of value a human being has:
inherent value
societal value
i don’t have it in me to explain these but inherent value can only be indirectly affected by societal value. societal value is way more prone to fluctuating and is mostly external. a disabled person has a lot of ways to contribute to society, but if they feel like they can’t, that’s sign of lowered inherent value.
I am curious as to what software you are using. Voice recognition is pretty good now, if you can use it. The only issue I had with your writing was paragraphing, since in a block text it is difficult to see the structure of someone’s thinking; I’m not fussed about spelling so long as meaning is decipherable.
As for your main question, there isn’t anyone who does not “contribute” to their community. There are many who would only measure that contribution in monetary or economic terms, and that is about them, not us.
Even a dead person can keep on contributing to society long after s/he died. The value can decrease, increase, or stay the same depending on what s/he did, who s/he was, what people remember, how history is written, or re-written depending on what later findings reveal.
I think your topic is deeper than you think.
The question as framed seems to be a question of utilitarianism, premised that the person was once well-functioning and is no longer, inviting the easy answer that their value has decreased because they are now a fiscal drain on society. But there are so many undefined presumptions. How do you define “contributing to society”? Monetary contribution, literary contribution, role as parent, child, sibling, friend? Who gets to define value? In what context? What exactly is “value”? You seem to be implying that one’s value appears to be related to what one measurably does, and that the simple fact of existence is insufficient to have meaningful value.
I think there is a lurking secondary question, too, that being what use will be made of a person’s decreased value, if the determination is made that their lack of contribution makes them less valuable.
Yes, that’s why you’re willing to pay for accident prevention.
I know one way we might put a monetary value on human life.
Say the probability of an accident among workers in the DontWorry company is \frac{1}{100,000}. If a person’s willing to pay 100 dollars to prevent an accident, we’d get about 10,000,000 dollars (100 \times 100,000 = 10,000,000). In other words 1 life = 10,000,000 dollars.