That's it? There are no other factors in play? Because as you list it here, anyone that would choose the 1-in-100 flight would be criminally negligent. You'll have to punish those criminals after you hunt them down, or if you don't help the authorities with information on these fugitives, you'll be aiding and abetting. So are you doing your part or are you just as guilty of killing grandma as you are claiming here?
And if you are doing your part, what should the punishment be for these people? Life in prison? Death? Seize them, hold them down, and inject them against their will?
All that just to get clarification. I don't know if you thought through what you just said or if you are a monster at heart.
Yorzhik - Yes, that is it. No extra factors are in play. You understood the basic analogy correctly. In both cases, there is a risk of death, but it would be irresponsible, and possibly even evil, to choose the option where death is 1000 times greater.
In terms of your comment about punishment. You have taken the analogy in a different direction from my original context, but that is ok. It is worth exploring too, so lets look at it.
Punishment implies being in a position of Authority to punish. Reasonably this is whatever Government rules the country that you live in. The government has a responsibility to its people to prevent the spread of any life debilitating communicable disease. That is why everyone is required to get their vaccinations in order to attend public school in the USA.
To what degree should a government be involved in coercing its population to become vaccinated? With Covid-19, too many people are relying upon social media for information. We know that social media is rife with flawed logic, and sometimes outright lies. People that rely on social media instead of experts may choose to not get vaccinated. My preference would be that the government would send via email and postal mail a letter to every household with the best information about the vaccines, as well as provide links for more scientifically vetted information for those people who want to go deeper into the science, so that they can make the best possible informed decision. If they still, having been informed, want to not get vaccinated, that is their right. Just as it is the right for the government to quarantine them, if necessary, in order to protect the rest of their population who have a right to not be infected by that quarantined person. Its a lot like paying taxes. You can think that you should not have to pay them, but the government has a right to lock you up if you don't, because by not doing your part, you are burdening everyone else, which is not fair to them.
