Robin: And whoever creates a life that would not have otherwise existed, it is as if they saved someone who had an entire lifetime yet to live.
I have to question that comparison. When you save a life that already exists, you are delivering them from a particular existential danger, even if not from the generic existential danger they face constantly by virtue of being alive. But when you create a life, you are delivering a new “hostage to fortune” and creating an existentially endangered being where none previously existed.
Robin: And whoever creates a life that would not have otherwise existed, it is as if they saved someone who had an entire lifetime yet to live.
I have to question that comparison. When you save a life that already exists, you are delivering them from a particular existential danger, even if not from the generic existential danger they face constantly by virtue of being alive. But when you create a life, you are delivering a new “hostage to fortune” and creating an existentially endangered being where none previously existed.