All human life is equally valuable.
Yes, I know, I'm not really breaking new ground here. But let's look at this statement closely. All human life, be it American or Iraqi, Palestinian or Israeli, Republican or Democrat is of equal value. Okay, this may be a bit more questionable, but still, this is pretty well within the scope of what is considered mainstream thought. All human life being equal also means that all lives are of equal worth. Saddam Hussein's life is as valuable as George W. Bush's. Charles Manson's life is as valuable as Mother Teresa's. Oh dear, here come the cries of outrage.
The truth of the matter is, though, that when we start grading lives, we begin to get into a very dangerous area, one where, I think, we have no business treading. Okay, so we say Manson's life is worth less than Mother Teresa (a stance that the soon to be sainted woman might have disputed). Why is Manson worth less? Well, he committed horrific, inhuman crimes. This takes away from the value of his life. Mother Teresa was a godly, patient and giving person who helped some of the most wretched humans without thought of herself. This adds to the value of her life.
Once we start doing this sort of "life-calculus" though, where does it end? In a clear-cut case like the one above, it may be readily agreed that the equation is valid. However, even the most clear cut cases can quickly become murky. If one were to pose the question of Yassir Arafat's life-value versus Ariel Sharon's life-value to the Israeli cabinet and to the Palestinian cabinet, I think that diametrically opposed "clear-cut" views would be expressed. Or, to put it simply, in attempting to determine the value of any human life, it is frankly impossible to do so, without resorting to wholly subjective measures, which render any such judgment valid only to the observer, and therefore, worthless to society at large.
I will make note of one rather large exception I take to this truth. I believe each individual can and does determine the value of his life. For example, if I were forced to choose between my life or that of my wife and daughters, the choice is crystal clear - I would suffer anything to make them safe. If I choose to join the armed forces or the police, I realize that I am placing my life at risk for some greater good (well, hopefully, anyway).
Overall, though, the truth here is that as a society, we must recognize that all human life has equal value. That is a premise that I hold inviolable for any just and moral society.
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