I have the impression that you’re reading “no more than 3x lower than X” as meaning “<= X/3″ when in fact I’m almost certain “>= X/3” is intended. In other words, the argument JonahSinick is making is: “You may consider that saving lives in the developing world is less valuable than saving lives in the developed world, because the extra years you provide that way are more pleasant ones; but even if so, it doesn’t seem credible that there’s more than a 3x difference, and even if we assume that developed-world years are 3x better to have than developing-world years it still comes out much more efficient to save developing-world lives”.
There’s an important distinction to make here, which I think makes it less reasonable to get outraged about such ideas. The things that may be less valuable in worse-off (poorer, less-developed, more disease-ridden, worse-governed) parts of the world aren’t people or lives but years of life. A poor person in Somalia is every bit as important and valuable as a rich person in Norway, and perhaps more deserving in some sense on account of having had so much worse a life previously; but if your intervention gives one of them 20 extra years of life, the poor person in Somalia gets an extra 20 poor-person-in-Somalia-years and the rich person in Norway gets an extra 20 rich-person-in-Norway-years, and the latter are better years. The best thing would probably be to give the poor person in Somalia 20 extra rich-person-in-Norway-years, but that would be even more expensive than giving them to the rich person in Norway and therefore much less effective in benefit/$ than giving the poor Somalian an extra 20 poor-Somali-years.
(Suppose you cost of an extra 20 poor-Somali years for the poor Somali, and of an extra 20 rich-Norwegian years for the rich Norwegian, were the same. Should we then favour the Norwegian because s/he is getting much better extra years? Not necessarily; giving a smaller benefit to someone who’s had a worse deal before might be better overall, helping poor Somalis may do more indirect good to others by helping the country grow, bad conditions in Somalia may be less unpleasant to those used to them and good conditions in Norway less pleasant to those used to them, etc. Again: the best thing, were it possible, would probably be to give the 20 extra rich-Norwegian-years to the poor Somali.)
I have the impression that you’re reading “no more than 3x lower than X” as meaning “<= X/3″ when in fact I’m almost certain “>= X/3” is intended. In other words, the argument JonahSinick is making is: “You may consider that saving lives in the developing world is less valuable than saving lives in the developed world, because the extra years you provide that way are more pleasant ones; but even if so, it doesn’t seem credible that there’s more than a 3x difference, and even if we assume that developed-world years are 3x better to have than developing-world years it still comes out much more efficient to save developing-world lives”.
There’s an important distinction to make here, which I think makes it less reasonable to get outraged about such ideas. The things that may be less valuable in worse-off (poorer, less-developed, more disease-ridden, worse-governed) parts of the world aren’t people or lives but years of life. A poor person in Somalia is every bit as important and valuable as a rich person in Norway, and perhaps more deserving in some sense on account of having had so much worse a life previously; but if your intervention gives one of them 20 extra years of life, the poor person in Somalia gets an extra 20 poor-person-in-Somalia-years and the rich person in Norway gets an extra 20 rich-person-in-Norway-years, and the latter are better years. The best thing would probably be to give the poor person in Somalia 20 extra rich-person-in-Norway-years, but that would be even more expensive than giving them to the rich person in Norway and therefore much less effective in benefit/$ than giving the poor Somalian an extra 20 poor-Somali-years.
(Suppose you cost of an extra 20 poor-Somali years for the poor Somali, and of an extra 20 rich-Norwegian years for the rich Norwegian, were the same. Should we then favour the Norwegian because s/he is getting much better extra years? Not necessarily; giving a smaller benefit to someone who’s had a worse deal before might be better overall, helping poor Somalis may do more indirect good to others by helping the country grow, bad conditions in Somalia may be less unpleasant to those used to them and good conditions in Norway less pleasant to those used to them, etc. Again: the best thing, were it possible, would probably be to give the 20 extra rich-Norwegian-years to the poor Somali.)