Årets Edge-fråga är:

What scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit?

Gerd Gigerenzer besvarar den på följande sätt:

I believe that the answer to modern crises is not simply more laws, more bureaucracy, or more money, but, first and foremost, more citizens who are risk literate. This can be achieved by cultivating statistical thinking. … Unlike basic literacy, risk literacy requires emotional re-wiring: rejecting comforting paternalism and illusions of certainty, and learning to take responsibility and to live with uncertainty. … Educators and politicians alike should realize that risk literacy is a vital topic for the 21st century. Rather than being nudged into doing what experts believe is right, people should be encouraged and equipped to make informed decisions for themselves. Risk literacy should be taught beginning in elementary school. Let’s dare to know — risks and responsibilities are chances to be taken, not avoided.

Hans idé är intressant. Irrationalitet och imperfekt beslutsfattande behöver inte ses som oföränderliga tillstånd.