On the rationality of the German nuclear phase-out

Our state of mind appears to be in equilibrium when it is balanced between opportunity and risk. The relationship between individual expectations of happiness and risk endured varies greatly depending on the state of mind of the individual. It is our understanding of ourselves that manageable individual risks are more likely to be taken than risks imposed by external forces. The anti-nuclear protesters operate skillfully with this super-extension of the term to create general anxiety. However, the problem is of a general nature. Classical scientific findings come mainly from the field of very high probability, which we simply describe as the causal link between cause and effect. In general, however, in the advance of our knowledge into ever more complicated contexts, right down to the so-called statistical ''noise'', the connection between cause and effect is becoming less and less clear. This vagueness opens up a great deal of discretion.