Dealing with high-stakes risk potentials depends on our ability to come to grips with some easy to understand, yet difficult to apply, criteria for decision. We need to go beyond the façade of pseudo-scientific assessments that cater to special interests. We need to take a fresh, honest look at the only two sensible decision criteria: precautionary avoidance and fatalism. This book shows why scientific assessments of catastrophic risk based on 'averages' don't work, and sets the stage for making the tough choice between precaution and fatalism.
