Tool
Harm of Death Calculator
Lifetime lost and quality of life: the reasoning behind QALYs.
One way to estimate the size of the harm of death: how much lifetime the individual loses, multiplied by the quality that life would have had. This is the logic of QALYs (quality-adjusted life years), used in public health.
The life that could have been
- Time lived
- Time taken away by death
The ages are common estimates for animal agriculture. The calculation is a simplification of Volume III, chapters 5 and 6, which also discusses past factors and the objections to QALYs. It shows why dying young and painlessly is still a great harm.
Based on Vol. III, ch. 5: How Can We Assess How Much Someone Is Harmed by Death?