The problem with “The Cold Equations” isn’t just that it could have been prevented by signs and door locks. The problem is that the fact that it could have been prevented by signs and door locks turns it from “the laws of nature results in having to kill someone” to “human irresponsibility results in having to kill someone”. Failing to take precautions to keep people out of a situation where they could die means the death is caused by negligence, not impersonal forces of nature.
(Reply to old post)
The problem with “The Cold Equations” isn’t just that it could have been prevented by signs and door locks. The problem is that the fact that it could have been prevented by signs and door locks turns it from “the laws of nature results in having to kill someone” to “human irresponsibility results in having to kill someone”. Failing to take precautions to keep people out of a situation where they could die means the death is caused by negligence, not impersonal forces of nature.