From life, we can move to “health.” Many nanny-state interventions are predicated on the idea that health is itself an absolute value, that we can ban things deemed “unhealthy” as they simply could never have enough benefit to outweigh the risks. On this basis, we have campaigns against drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, trans-fats, soda and more. This ignores the simple truth that health is not an absolute value—there are many who are willing to risk their health for the benefits they feel they receive. By prohibiting this, the health militants make interested individuals less satisfied, all in the name of the “absolute value” of health.
If something is an absolute value, then cost is no object, no benefit great enough to outweigh it, no harm great enough to argue against it. We end up with horribly misguided laws thanks to our belief in absolute values.