That is all very true.

This makes me think of the precautionary principle, a concept that some book-reading pinko types use when discussing global warming. Basically it says, if we have SOME evidence that by not taking action we could do great harm, and we understand that the consequences of taking that action are not in themselves terrible, then we MUST take action as if we WERE certain that inaction would cause great harm.

Imagine that Foo and Manton are having tea and that Foo suddenly wonders whether he left his Wolf stove on, and also realizes that he left a stack of Rubinacci pocket squares on top of the stove. Foo has no way of being certain that he did or didn't leave the stove on. He has two choices: he can stay at tea with Manton, all the way through the lemon cake course, then go home and hope that his pocket squares are unharmed. Or he can whip out his green Hermes billfold, pay for his drink, then dash home as fast as his single-soled Alden longwings will carry him and check the stove, leaving Manton to cry into his Earl Gray. The precautionary principle would urge Foo to take the latter course. Now imagine that Foo's Italian pocket squares are the entire earth.