Thinking and Deciding

CONCLUSION 525
ficials thought that the public was inconsistent: Their representatives, after all, voted
overwhelmingly for this act. But none of the public statements of these officials, or
news articles about these issues, told us how many cases of which disease would be
prevented by how many extra car inspections. It is easy for public opinion to swing
wildly from side to side when quantities are left out of the picture.
When we think quantitatively, we can make everyday decisions in a sensible way,
and we will also know when some public decisions, such as whether to build more
nuclear power plants, requires a more detailed quantitative analysis by experts. We
will also understand that it does not matter whether risks arise through action or
omission, or whether the cause of a risk is human or natural. We will understand
why we should not pay more to reduce risk to zero, if we can use the money better
in other ways by reducing some other risk imperfectly.