Disasters strike mankind with great frequency and variety. Most of the ‘smaller’ ones go unreported, and are known only to the friends and relatives of the victims. The ‘larger’ ones, however, usually make the news headlines, and arouse feelings of bewilderment and loss in the wider community. Earthquakes, floods, shootings, crashes—how do we make sense of such disasters? In particular, how do we make sense of why they happen to whom they happen?

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