We find risks everywhere-from genetically modified crops medical malpractice & stem-cell therapy to intimacy online predators identity theft inflation & robbery They arise from our own acts & they are imposed on us In this Very Short Introduction Baruch Fischhoff & John Kadvany draw on the sciences & humanities to explore & explain the many kinds of risk Using simple conceptual frameworks from decision theory & behavioural research they examine the science & practice of creating measures of risk showing how scientists address risks by combining historical records scientific theories probability & expert judgment Risk A Very Short Introduction describes what has been learned by cognitive scientists about how people deal with risks applying these lessons to diverse examples & demonstrating how understanding risk can aid choices in everyday life & public policies for health safety environment finance & many other topics ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable