Over the past two decades one of the most dramatic phenomenon on the social scene has been the rise of broad, public involvement in decision making about complex technologies, including those that protect society from natural hazards such as floods. Spawned by national legislation that required...

Modern theories in cognitive psychology and neuroscience indicate that there are two fundamental ways in which human beings comprehend risk. The analytic system uses algorithms and normative rules, such as probability calculus, formal logic, and risk assessment. It is relatively slow, effortful,...