An example of both what is great and what is terrible about my chosen discipline:

"A deterrent policy or weapons system is often described by an analogy to some arrangement of insurance safety engineering. ...insurance policies are taken out against nature which is indifferent to our moves. Taking out hail insurance does not increase the likelihood of hail storms, nor do automobile seat belts provoke other drivers to crash into our car."

(From the introduction by Karl Deutsch to Anatol Rapoport's Strategy and Conscience.)