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They’re not analogous. People consume oil and tobacco willingly. They don’t, or wouldn’t, aquiesce to GoF research or a cardboard bridge. If we’re trading horses, you could have oil spill C-suits. Of course we can’t draconically punish a low-level technician for releasing a virus if he was not adequately compensated for that responsibility.
I know this secretary in a big company, she would produce and present documents for the (somewhat dumb) CEO to sign and she was revolted that he wouldn’t understand, or even read, most of what he was signing. One day she was in a hurry to get some papers through, and instead of waiting for the CEO, another executive suggested that she sign them herself. “I’m not paid to sign!” she replied. And that’s true. The signature has to mean something. Some skin in the game, buck stopping power. In theory, they’re compensated for it, but they’re not really accountable for it. That's the way the managerial class wants it. But the rest of us don't have to take it.
A cardboard bridge would probably get glowing reviews. Wait, no, it already has. They’d never sign off on one for actual traffic…until they do, because it’s cheaper, greener, or just novel. If it could possibly make someone money, they’ll try it.
Same for Gain-of-Function. People want new technology. People also don’t think very hard about externalities. So they vote for people who run programs that do GoF, and they go into biotech programs in college, and they do GoF research to fund a PhD.
The most obviously terrible ideas are the most likely to become a contrarian marketing gimmick. Business as usual.
The material is immaterial – what’s punishable is the broken promise (signature) that the bridge would stand.
I fear that in your attempts to shield some people from accountability you have descended into total nihilism. “No one will ever be held accountable, even if they build a literal doomsday device.” “Okay! That’s bad!”
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If I got frustrated in a position like that and my concerns got knocked back, the next documents the CEO would be presented to sign would be requests for an increase in how much I was being paid.
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