The opportunity cost of the resources and time they used up was not zero nor was that the only possible thing they could have done.
It only seems like the definite correct thing to do because no alternative possibilities were considered in comparison. Even within the context of saving lives during the vaccine rollout, there may have been alternative course of action that led to even more saved.
In the broader context of improving the human condition generally, the common rejoinder on LW, at least in the past, could have included things such as ‘malaria nets’, ‘QUALYs’, etc...
This line of reasoning has been discussed so many times on LW it’s surprising you haven’t come across it
The opportunity cost of the resources and time they used up was not zero nor was that the only possible thing they could have done.
It only seems like the definite correct thing to do because no alternative possibilities were considered in comparison. Even within the context of saving lives during the vaccine rollout, there may have been alternative course of action that led to even more saved.
In the broader context of improving the human condition generally, the common rejoinder on LW, at least in the past, could have included things such as ‘malaria nets’, ‘QUALYs’, etc...
This line of reasoning has been discussed so many times on LW it’s surprising you haven’t come across it