Comment by kube-system

It is common for people to measure the value of a lot of things that aren't literally money in dollars. e.g. equity, risk, debt, etc. In a lot of these cases I think it is completely normal for a reader to understand that the value is not actualized.

> Yet the only clear and honest way to communicate human suffering is in human terms, not in dollars and cents

But do we have any better economic units to measure it other than dollars and cents? I don't think we do. So in the context of an economic discussion, it's the best that can be done.