As for the post itself, I find its premise unlikely. Suppose that a person’s usual antics are sources of happiness for those who care about the person, but rare tragedies and especially stupid actions also affect the friends’ welfare. This gives the person extra duty not to do anything especially stupid, but doesn’t make people caring about one another a source of externalities. It also could have an effect of reducing the frequency of stupid life-altering actions.
@jimrandomh Could you give @KatjaGrace the option to make such short posts quick takes?
As for the post itself, I find its premise unlikely. Suppose that a person’s usual antics are sources of happiness for those who care about the person, but rare tragedies and especially stupid actions also affect the friends’ welfare. This gives the person extra duty not to do anything especially stupid, but doesn’t make people caring about one another a source of externalities. It also could have an effect of reducing the frequency of stupid life-altering actions.