What is meant by the phrase isk society?
Risk society is the term used to describe our modern society – where tradition has broken down, and scientific advances rather than nature, dominate our lives. The consequences of human actions on areas such as pollution, global warming, BSE, have introduced new sources of risk and uncertainty. These factors heighten the risk involved in making everyday decisions, and a central paradox to the risk society is that these risks are generated by the processes of modernisation trying to control them. In a risk society traditional certainties and securities can no longer be assumed. Increases in scientific knowledge lead to a more contingent society where the risks of anticipated events influence today’s decisions.
