Rationalists will propose a banned products store where you can buy dangerous things and say “if you choose to buy something that kills you there, it’s your own fault.”
The text of the very post you cite is arguing against that stance.
Saying “People who buy dangerous products deserve to get hurt!” is not tough-minded. It is a way of refusing to live in an unfair universe. Real tough-mindedness is saying, “Yes, sulfuric acid is a horrible painful death, and no, that mother of five children didn’t deserve it, but we’re going to keep the shops open anyway because we did this cost-benefit calculation.”
The point is NOT that “If you made your own choices then they’re your own fault”. The point is “there’s an actual cost of people who realistically will make these mistakes, who will be harmed, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise, or slip into justifying it.”
The text of the very post you cite is arguing against that stance.
The point is NOT that “If you made your own choices then they’re your own fault”. The point is “there’s an actual cost of people who realistically will make these mistakes, who will be harmed, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise, or slip into justifying it.”
What? I specifically stated that Eliezer didn’t buy into it, which is what you are quoting.