One reason we resist making deliberate choices is that choice equals change and most of us, feeling the world is unpredictable enough, try to minimise the trauma of change in our personal lives.

Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills.

But the rule seems to be that the bigger and more life-changing the decision, the less it will seem like a decision at all.

So, if falling crime rates coincide with the rise of violent video games and increasing violence on TV and at the cinema, should we conclude that media violence is causing the drop in crime rates?

The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.

It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?