The loss of PQ17 cost 153 lives.
The loss of the Hood, leading a superior force against the Bismarck, at one stroke cost 1415 lives.
The PQ17 ships and cargo were replaceable.
The Hood was not. Its loss had an effect on operations in the Med and in the North Atlantic until much later in the war when the rest of the KGV class battleships were ready (and even then individually no match for the Tirpitz).
The bigger picture casts a different light on Pound's decision.
The Nelson Spirit is all very well but it is necessary to have the superior ships and gunnery to carry it off. In WW2 the RN did not have that luxury, dependent as it was for the first part on a largely WW1-built battle fleet.