Risk and Culture An Essay on the Selection of Technological and Environmental Dangers

Can we know the risks we face, now or in the future? No, we cannot; but yes, we must act as if we do. Some dangers are unknown; others are known, but not by us because no one person can know everything. Most people cannot be aware of most dangers at most times. Hence, no one can calculate precisely...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Douglas, Mary
Other Authors: Wildavsky, Aaron
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Berkeley ; Los Angeles ; London University of California Press 1982, ©1983
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: DeGruyter MPG Collection - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:Can we know the risks we face, now or in the future? No, we cannot; but yes, we must act as if we do. Some dangers are unknown; others are known, but not by us because no one person can know everything. Most people cannot be aware of most dangers at most times. Hence, no one can calculate precisely the total risk to be faced. How, then, do people decide which risks to take and which to ignore? On what basis are certain dangers guarded against and others relegated to secondary status? This book explores how we decide what risks to take and which to ignore, both as individuals and as a culture.
Physical Description:224 pages
ISBN:978-0-520-90739-3