Michael Lewis, in his terrific podcast, "Against the Rules," interviews Ken Feinberg. Name sound familiar? He's the guy who distributed money to the families after 9/11. Ken had made a name for himself after being able to settle the Agent Orange dispute. Since 9/11, he's been called in time after time to bring resolution to the toughest cases. To decide what's "fair."
Maybe this is why: Feinberg was contemplating the "worth" of a stockbroker and a janitor. Both died in the twin towers. The normal model was to calculate "future earnings." Feinberg didn't see it that way. He was able to look at "money" and "worth" in a much deeper way which brought the compensation a lot closer.
So far, people are satisfied. And right now, the Catholic Church has asked him to look into things.
P.S. I love Michael Lewis' mind. He goes as deep into philosophical discussions of the "big questions" as any professors and theologians. The Ken Feinberg story is only part of his series on fairness. Definitely worth your time.
What a novel idea! Not equating $$ with human worth. I love podcasts and why haven't I heard about this? I will definitely add this to my podcast subscriptions. Thank you, Joan.
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