ABSTRACT
Our world is so constructed that the physical and material benefits we most desire are sprinkled with the seeds of disaster. For example, the search for fertile fields often leads us to floodplains, and our attempt to make less fertile fields productive forces us to rely, at some risk, on fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides. The wonder drugs that maintain our health carry side effects proportional to their potency, and the benefits of energy are enjoyed at the risk of damage from a host of pollutants. People today have some control over the level of risk they face, but reduction of risk often entails reduction of benefit as well.
