Actually it's more than a judgement. Whether the risk of potential damage is acceptable is a personal judgement, but there have been published guidelines for chain length for over half a century. The Sram method of big/big +1" is the minimum safe length. Both Shimano and Campagnolo guidelines would have you using a longer chain in most cases.

What anyone does with his own chain is none of my business, but if an employee ever set up a customers bike with a chain shorter than the minimum length, he'd get a clear warning the first time and be fired the second time. In the same vein, I consider it an issue of responsibility to clearly advise anyone who asks, that chains shorter than minimum are bad practice. What they do with that advice is up to them.