Greed is Good!

[Mich the Tester]

Only the Dutch...

and maybe the Germans!

Definitely the Germans; the Dutch would be too stingey to pay.

[original PM]

Feck me I forgot the largest parasites of all: PMs.
Exterminate! Exterminate!

kerist I need to change my name--- not a PM(anymore) and the PM does not stand for Project Manager

[Old Greg]

Pertaining to the species homo sapiens sapiens.

Well done.

A case in point is a person born with severe learning disabilities. Should we value them any less than a human being without a learning disability? Or should we decide they are of equal worth?

If the yardstick against which you measure the value of humans is their innate humanity itself, then they are equal. If you disagree with that, then go ahead and explain how you measure the value of such people. If you believe that such an evaluation is logically impossible, don't worry - I still think you're of equal value to the rest of us.

[sasguru]

Some gumph.

Whooossshhhhh!
I suggest you re-read the thread and find out who is arguing for what.

[sasguru]

Forgive me for mentioning what most will realise is a complete truism; but it doesn't seem at all obvious to people like Sasguru.

Worth is contextual, rather than absolute. In particular, if every supposedly worthless person was eliminated, then a load of people formerly not so would themselves become worthless, and so on.

For example, if every chronically sick person was killed, then Sasguru's skills at totting up pharmaceutical stats would become superfluous and he would be pretty much worthless.

Whoooshhhhhhh!
Ditto

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

You can't understand complicated concepts. Or even quite simple ones.
And as the world is getting more complex and requires MScs and PhDs, what would you do?

It's absolutely amazing the insights that you have. I assume that as, typically, you have made vague allusions without any substantive argument it would be an exercise in futility, on my part, to ask you to provide evidence of a simple or even complex concept that I lack the intellectual capability to understand? Unless what you actually mean is that I hold a different opinion from your own and that is enough for you to label me as being of below average intelligence.

[doodab]

The problems of society are nothing to do with inequality they are to do with lifting the less well off out of poverty.

You may wish to believe that but it doesn't appear to be true. All other things being equal, more inequality = more problems. This is borne out pretty much anywhere you care to look.

Whilst I agree that too much power and property is indeed concentrated in the hands of too few people I would argue that this is a separate argument.

I don't think it is. You can't address the gap between rich and poor when you ignore one half of the equation.

I would agree that redistribution via the tax system isn't a desirable way to address the problem.

[DodgyAgent]

Well done.

A case in point is a person born with severe learning disabilities. Should we value them any less than a human being without a learning disability? Or should we decide they are of equal worth?

If the yardstick against which you measure the value of humans is their innate humanity itself, then they are equal. If you disagree with that, then go ahead and explain how you measure the value of such people. If you believe that such an evaluation is logically impossible, don't worry - I still think you're of equal value to the rest of us.

You still have not defined worth and nor have you explained what is meant by humanity. You clearly have your own notion of values based presumably around your own somewhat narrow existence and presumably it is this set of values that make up your definition of how equality should be benchmarked. There is however no rule or law or doctrine that says the rest of us should accept your view.

[sasguru]

For the hard of thinking, I may have to explain myself.
DA and Lisa are arguing that there is no way you can say that people can be of equal worth.
Old Greg is arguing that the very fact that you're human makes it so, as, ironically, the Founding Fathers of the most capitalistic state yet created averred.
So I'm merely demonstrating to Lisa and DA that there are many ways to judge people and that is dangerous to do so.
For example the fact that they are poorly educated might make someone argue that they are of less worth.

HTH. Feck me, you lot are thick. Exterminate! Exterminate!.

[sasguru]

It's absolutely amazing the insights that you have. I assume that as, typically, you have made vague allusions without any substantive argument it would be an exercise in futility, on my part, to ask you to provide evidence of a simple or even complex concept that I lack the intellectual capability to understand? Unless what you actually mean is that I hold a different opinion from your own and that is enough for you to label me as being of below average intelligence.

Well you don't have a degree. To some, many blue-chip employers, for example, that makes you of less worth than someone with one.