Do you mean you would rather commit one stranger to poverty than kill ten people, or that you being in poverty is worse than ten strangers dying, but a stranger in poverty is not?
The scenario was quite contrived—truly permanent poverty, enforced by a king. Every non-coerced form of poverty has at least the hope of benefiting by economic improvement, and most forms of poverty are something you can work your way out of (allowing for difficulties with time, energy, education and lowered IQ). Ordinary poverty is not a worse-than-death.
Do you mean you would rather commit one stranger to poverty than kill ten people, or that you being in poverty is worse than ten strangers dying, but a stranger in poverty is not?
The scenario was quite contrived—truly permanent poverty, enforced by a king. Every non-coerced form of poverty has at least the hope of benefiting by economic improvement, and most forms of poverty are something you can work your way out of (allowing for difficulties with time, energy, education and lowered IQ). Ordinary poverty is not a worse-than-death.