How fair is safe enough. The cultural approach to societal technology choice
This paper consists of an argument and a pilot study. First is a general, perhaps philosophical, argument against the National Academy's viewpoint that dealing with risk is a two-stage process consisting of (a) assessment of facts, and (b) evaluation of facts in sociopolitical context. They argue that societal risk intrinsically revolves around social relations as much as around evaluations of probability. Second, they outline one particular approach to analyzing societal risk management styles. They call this the fairness hypothesis. Rather than focusing on probabilities and magnitudes of undesired events, this approach emphasizes societal preferences for principles of achieving consent to a technology, distributing liabilities, and investing trust in institutions. Conflict rather than probability is the chief focus of this approach to societal risk management. This view is illustrated by a recent empirical pilot study that explored the fairness hypothesis in the context of new nuclear technologies.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
- OSTI ID:
- 6025706
- Journal Information:
- Risk Anal.; (United States), Vol. 7:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
POLICY AND ECONOMY
NUCLEAR ENERGY
DECISION MAKING
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
PUBLIC OPINION
RISK ASSESSMENT
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
INSURANCE
LIABILITIES
MANAGEMENT
MARKET
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
PROBABILITY
PUBLIC POLICY
PUBLIC RELATIONS
RADIATION HAZARDS
SAFETY
SOCIAL IMPACT
TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS
ENERGY
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POWER PLANTS
PUBLIC UTILITIES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
530200* - Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies- Assessment of Energy Technologies- (-1989)
290600 - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety