ABSTRACT
Decisions about energy projects and policies are fraught with controversy. A few examples are the disputes over climate change, hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), or permanent storage of nuclear waste. Sometimes people on one side think those on the other side are not simply wrong but arrogant, foolish, irrational, reckless, or crazy. Since I am emphasizing the merger (but sometimes opposition) between engineering and sociological perspectives, a good point of departure is the differing ways these disciplines view rational decision-making. By “rational” I mean based on reason, logical consistency, and a realistic appraisal of relevant facts and constraints.
