I've often asked ATC to get me met further down route, and used that information.
I've also often flown VFR in IMC; so long as things are within my personal limits at destination and hopefully my alternate, and most likely I'm receiving a traffic rather than just basic service. And of-course, conditions aren't consistent with risk of icing.
I'm an IMC holder, so my personal minimum will normally be 600ft and 1800m RVR or thereabouts. If I had an IR, that would come down to 200/900. In either case however I may have local knowledge of my destination that modifies my decision point - in either direction - compared to that based purely upon published data.
Similarly I want options in the event of an emergency en-route: cloudbase below is a significant player, but so is what I can see out of the window and my knowledge of what is around me en-route.
So I think that ATC providing this information is spot on, but ultimately the pilot has to make his own decision and will be using a lot of evidence that ATC doesn't have.
Was this pilot being sensible or stupid? Impossible to tell without being him in my opinion.
G