I recently read a piece in the Irish Times worrying that economics was entering into the debate over euthanasia. But I can’t help but think it’s always been there.
Let’s face it, without any agreed upon morality concerning human life and ethicists unable to agree that about the value of human life, some concern must fill the vacuum and form the bedrock of our opinion. And once life is no longer priceless, a price tag is necessarily affixed. After that, it’s all just haggling.
And just in case you’re OK with that, please remember that in economics everything comes down to supply and demand and unless there’s a big demand for you when you get sick or injured and you’re no longer contributing the supply of you will likely soon be zeroed out.
In economics, once people are no longer contributing to society there’s very little economic case that can be made to extend their lives. When they talk about “quality of life” what they’re really talking about is the cost/benefit analysis of you.
Our culture is happily shrugging off that old time religion but remember it will be replaced by something. And that something is economics. And more people have died in the name of economics than any religion. That’s right communism, I’m talking to you. Take that Dawkins!
