Are children more valuable than adults?

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i love you

What about your wifey tho? Isn't she just as important?

Absolutely she's invaluable to me. But like me, I know she'd put our daughter ahead of anyone else, because she's said so numerous times.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

No, they have just done a lot less to piss us off.

Children are invaluable to their parents in most cases, however not in all cases. For instance, given a situation where an adult could survive if not taxed with the burden of a child, but the child would not be able to survive alone, its rational to get rid of the kid provided the adult can reproduce again.

However, what you have to keep in mind is that the value your daughter represents to you is not an objective value.

The natural way to value a child from an objective, society level is Net future contribution to society. From a statistical perspective, most children end up average adults, thus they are less valuable than above average adults currently alive and worth more than below average adults currently alive. The "average living adult" vs "average living child" is a bit harder, because while the child has more potential years to contribute, the adult has a proven record of contribution.

In short, there are a lot of variables to consider, but a parent's bond with a child is not a measure of that child's "real value" it's a measure of the parents subjective value of the child.

All value is subjective.

This is true. I don't know whether I should use a sad smiley right now.

Not numerical value. And kids have that.

If there's an 80 year old and an 8 year old and I can only save one, I'll save the kid. Simple reason is that I'm saving more life, and that's my goal, to save life (not out to save the GDP here folks). The 80 year old has already had a chance to live out an entire lifetime, and there is probably not much left. The 8 year old hasn't had a chance to live hardly any of his life, and he's got lots left.

80 is more than 8, so the geezer has more numerical value.

Even if the 80 year old is of utmost importance and a pillar which betters the life of hundreds of people through humanitarian efforts?

First of all, nobody know how valuable a person is.
Second it is not intelligent to think which humans are more or less valuable (see the results in the history)
One other point is also interesting.
When there was a disaster anywhere on the world, the medias are mostly interested in victims from their homecountries.
When for example there is an earthquake anywhere on the world, the german medias (I'm from Germany) are mostly interested about death germans.

Children are worth more because of the parental instinct. Even people like me who heavily dislike kids, are hardwired to care about kids. They are the continuation of our species, after all.

Then again, that's perceived worth. In more concrete terms, I'd say children are actually worth *less* because they don't contribute to society.

Is it a more serious crime to kill sombody who could life 50-70years into the future than to kill somebody who propably died the next day?
I think that it is impossible to answer questions like that. Every person had another value, but you don't know this value and it is not good to think about.
What would be if the old person rescued at the next day then persons. And what would be, if the younger person decide to become an killer?

Children are not more valuable than adults, they are more vulnerable than adults.

The American media is the exact same way.
Out of interest, which part of Germany are you from?

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

I can honestly say I don't really care about kids more than adults, even in a visceral sense. Cruelty to an old or middle aged person is just as disturbing to me as cruelty to a child. Is that wrong?