I'd wager the average case of a non-lit traffic light is more likely to be a traffic light that's... out (at least around here newly installed ones are covered

I'd wager the average case of a non-lit traffic light is more likely to be a traffic light that's... out (at least around here newly installed ones are covered until they're activated) so no, I wouldn't say ignoring them would make sense. It would generally be a clue that there's an intersection busy enough to require signals that now lacks signals or signage which would warrant extra caution. I'd expect the car to at least slow down significantly, if not come to a complete stop before proceeding.