RC1 - Risk society (keyterms, mp + scenario questions)

Risk (Spiegelhalter)

Undesirable things that might happen

Risk (Gigerenzer)

The objective likelihood or chance of experiencing negative events, calculated by multiplying the probability by the magnitude of the consequences

Risk (Aven & Renn)

Uncertainty about and severity of the consequences of an activity with respect to something that humans value

Hazard

A situation or object that poses a possibility of harm, which only becomes a risk when there is action or exposure

Aleatory uncertainty

First-order uncertainty regarding things that we simply cannot know

Epistemic uncertainty

Second-order uncertainty regarding things that we do not know yet but could potentially learn

Unknown unknowns

Completely unforeseen events or threats that we are not even aware we do not know

Risk communication

The interactive process of exchanging knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and opinions related to risks between individuals and institutions

VUCA world

An environment characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity

Industrial modernity

The first age of modernization focused on material wealth, avoiding scarcity, and controlling nature, where risks were visible, short-term, and physically bound

Reflexive modernity

A mature phase of modernity where traditional industrial frameworks are abandoned, forcing society to critically reflect on the uncertainties and unintended side-effects of its own technological progress

Risk society

A modern society characterized by a collective awareness of, and a deep vulnerability to, unpredictable, invisible, and human-made technological hazards

Manufactured risks

Threats and hazards that do not occur naturally, but are the unintended, complex result of human intervention, scientific knowledge, and technological decision-making

Borderless risks

Modern hazards that cannot be contained and cross national borders, social classes, and generations

Invisible risks

Threats that exist on a molecular or subatomic level and only become visible and measurable through scientific intervention

Actual risks

The objective, mathematically calculated statistical probability of a hazard occurring

Perceived risks

The subjective and often emotional way in which individuals or groups estimate and experience hazards, which can strongly deviate from actual statistical probabilities

Organized irresponsibility

The structural inability and unwillingness of modern institutions, governments, and insurers to formally take accountability for large-scale technological damage

Facework commitment

Traditional trust placed in known individuals and personal, local relationships

Faceless commitment

The necessary blind trust that citizens in modern times must place in impersonal, abstract expert systems replacing local trust

Reflexivity

A process of continuous monitoring, surveillance, and making adjustments to one's life and environment as new information becomes available

Life politics

Political concerns focused primarily on improving the quality of life, lifestyle choices, and protecting health and the environment, rather than traditional ideological class struggles

Authoritarian-technocracy

A societal and political system where actual power and decision-making over crucial, life-altering issues are removed from the democratic process and placed in the hands of unelected scientific and technical experts

What is the mathematical formula used to calculate a risk according to the lecture?

Probability (the likelihood of an unwanted event) multiplied by the severity (magnitude of the consequences)

According to Slovic's model, what are the two main dimensions used to evaluate risk?

Controllability and knowability

What are the two main factors of risk perception in Slovic's model?

Dread risk (Factor 1) and unknown risk (Factor 2)

In the VUCA model, what does "Ambiguity" refer to in the context of risk communication?

People not speaking the same language or lacking a shared meaning, for example regarding the definition of climate change

What is the core central question that defines the field of risk communication?

Who communicates what in what form to whom to what effect?

What characterizes the "fatalistic pre-modernity" era regarding risk?

There was no risk awareness; events were simply perceived as things that just happened

According to the Risk Society model, what is the paradox of producing more scientific knowledge?

It leads to greater unawareness because it undermines absolute truths and constantly reveals new, unexpected dangers

What methodology was used in the empirical literature to map the parameters of the risk society?

A theoretical literature review and conceptual exploration synthesizing sociological, political, and psychological theories

What are the two main critiques of the Risk Society theory mentioned in the literature?

It focuses too much on risk avoidance (ignoring the benefits of positive risks) and is heavily biased towards Western technological threats (ignoring traditional hazards like poverty)

Imagine a local government places a bottle of highly toxic bleach in a sealed, untouchable glass case in a museum. A citizen complains this is a massive risk. Using the lecture's definition of hazard vs. risk, how would you evaluate this situation?

Based on the formula "Hazard + action (exposure)

During a global pandemic, scientists constantly update their advice based on new virus mutations, which makes a segment of the population highly anxious and distrustful of the government. How does the Risk Society theory explain this reaction?

This can be evaluated using the parameters "Faceless commitment" and "Reflexivity". Citizens are forced to place blind trust in abstract expert systems, and the constant monitoring and adjusting of knowledge undermines absolute truth. When the system fails to provide certainty, it produces anxiety and doubt rather than trust

A multinational technology company launches a new AI tool. The developers claim the mathematical probability of a catastrophic failure is extremely low, but the public protests, demanding the technology be banned due to fear of the unknown. How can you analyze this conflict using the parameters of the Risk Society and Slovic's model?

This scenario illustrates the "Different understandings of risk" parameter, specifically the massive gap between actual risks (the statistical probability) and perceived risks. It also aligns with Slovic's dimensions, where the public reacts negatively due to a lack of "controllability" and "knowability" (scoring high on unknown risk and dread risk)

Following an environmental disaster caused by an unregulated chemical plant, the government and the plant's insurers point fingers at each other, resulting in victims receiving no compensation and nobody taking the blame. Which concept from the Risk Society literature best evaluates this scenario?

This is a textbook example of "Organized irresponsibility," a situation arising from the proliferation of risk definitions where modern institutions and insurers structurally dodge accountability for large-scale, human-made technological damage

What is the consequence of the "omnipresence of risk" parameter where traditional norms have collapsed?

It forces individuals to constantly make choices, resulting in "risky-freedoms" and a collective feeling of vulnerability and insecurity

According to the "different understandings of risk" parameter, what type of risks have largely replaced traditional natural risks?

Manufactured risks (caused by technological progress) that are borderless and often invisible

In the "proliferation of risk definitions" parameter, what phenomenon occurs when institutions and insurers structurally dodge accountability for catastrophic threats?

Organized irresponsibility

What is the paradox of producing more scientific knowledge according to the "reflexive orientation to risk" parameter?

It actually leads to greater unawareness because it undermines absolute truths and constantly reveals new, unexpected dangers

According to the "risk and trust" parameter, what is the result of replacing facework commitment with faceless commitment when expert systems fail?

It produces a massive crisis of trust, leading to severe anxiety and doubt among the public.

How does the "politics of risk" parameter describe the shift in decision-making power regarding modern hazards?

Power has shifted away from democratic bodies and into an "authoritarian-technocracy" consisting of unelected scientific and technical experts.

What are the six parameters of the risk society?

1. The omnipresence of risk;

2. Different understandings of risk;

3. The proliferation of risk definitions;

4. The reflexive orientation to risk;

5. Risk and trust;

6. The politics of risk