We seem to distinguish “sacred” and “non-sacred” values, refusing to mix the two in calculations (for example human life vs money).
People claim to make such distinctions and claim to refuse to mix the two in ‘calculations’, but no person I’ve ever heard of actually does so to an extent anywhere close to the widely affirmed claims. The revealed preferences show that the statistical average human life has a roughly consistent valuation (within one order of magnitude) between widely disparate spheres of activity.
In fact several industries would cease to exist, or at least cease to make any plans concerning the future, if such a dichotomy actually existed, as their cost of calculation would skyrocket towards infinity.
People claim to make such distinctions and claim to refuse to mix the two in ‘calculations’, but no person I’ve ever heard of actually does so to an extent anywhere close to the widely affirmed claims. The revealed preferences show that the statistical average human life has a roughly consistent valuation (within one order of magnitude) between widely disparate spheres of activity.
In fact several industries would cease to exist, or at least cease to make any plans concerning the future, if such a dichotomy actually existed, as their cost of calculation would skyrocket towards infinity.