The Concept of Risk in Society - Essay Example

Risk in Contemporary Society The concept of risk as it pertains to society has changed in the way it can be assessed and evaluated. Creating an understanding of risk requires that one observes the potential of consequence. As society has changed in its associations through economy to happiness, the concept of what constitutes a risk has changed dramatically. Risks on some levels have been diminished, but on other, far more catastrophic levels, have reached a proportion in which living carries with it the potential for experiencing technological and industrial influenced hazards that have incomprehensible consequences. The advances in industry and science carry new risks that has changed aspects of human existence. In a world that has moved past mere survival to an ever increasing concern with quality of life, the concept of risk has evolved and changed to reflect a society that accepts catastrophic potentials in order to embrace scientific and technological advancement. In understanding risk, an understanding of potential outcomes must be reached. Unfortunately, an evaluation that has taken into consideration all potential outcomes is very rare and it is the unknown outcome that creates the deeper level of catastrophe when that potential is reached. According to Carter and Jordan (Bromley, et al 2009, p. 59), when risk is considered, the possible uncertainties must be considered as well. In other words, risk must be evaluated by understanding that all risks cannot be foreseen. The evaluation of risk has the added consequence of the certainty that the evaluation has not taken into consideration all possibilities. Therefore, any evaluation will have gaps in understanding all potential outcomes. Social theorist Ulrich Beck has postulated a series of theories that are concerned with the role of risk in society. He contends that in a world where scientific theory and advancement has profoundly affected the quality of life, social consciousness of the potentials associated with those risks has become heightened. Adam (2002, p. 11) contends that as a result “we have developed greater knowledge and sensitivity towards the unintended consequences of our actions.” Therefore, Beck (Adam 2002, p. 11) suggests that risk now must be associated with decision making. Risk has also been developed into a form of business. Insurance is the business of evaluating the value of undesirable consequences. However, according to Adam (2002, p.12), risk has become so complex and without calculable definition, that it has now lost its point of ultimate reference. In order to assess the value of risk, one must be able to bring about the value of the consequence. One must see that consequence to assess its value. In an industrialized world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to assess all the multiple variances that are possible and therefore the risk of the insurance company in covering the risks taken becomes a more risky proposition. As mentioned previously, risk is associated with decision making. However, in a society that is faced with the complexity of risks that are the result of scientific advancement, a heightened sense of overall anxiety can be measured. According to Adam (2002, p. 13), the complexity of the way in which risks of modern society affect life has left an underlying anxiety within the higher industrialized cultures. One of the affects of having higher functioning technological support within society is that we lose social control from not understanding every aspect of the things that contribute to functioning within that society (Langford and Turner 2004, p. 131). The risks of using scientific and technological advances result in the stress of it being possibly outside of the control of the one using them. This type of stress of the unknown also appears in general issues of food consumption. Everything from the contamination of soil to the contamination of meat becomes an issue to the modern consumer. One example of this issue is the use of antibiotics in chicken. An advance in the safety of consumable chicken products became evident when using antibiotics in chickens reduced the contamination within the meat for the consumer. However, as more research has come to light, this use of antibiotics has created a population that is more resistant to antibiotics for the use in infection because of the overexposure to the medication from food consumption (Nestle 2003, p. 259). More resistance to antibiotics leads to the need for stronger antibiotics for combating infection, which leads to a higher possibility of the need for even higher levels of the medication down the road. This cycle of improvement balanced with unforeseen consequence allows for the act of consuming food to become an issue of anxiety for a great portion of the population. With the rises in the percentage of cancer victims, mental disorders, and diseases based upon cellular growth, the level of information is both too great and too varied for the average individual to adequately process and utilize(Koella and Langford 2004). Therefore, the basic act of food consumption has risks that cannot be quantified and creates a backlash of capitalistic opportunities that prey upon fears. Higher priced organic foods, books, seminars, and holistic health professionals all profit from the heightened fear that the risks involved with eating have inflicted upon society. Choices become simple for many risks that involve scientific discovery and advancement. Bromley et al (2009) uses the example of contaminated soil to prove this point. For an individual who discovers that soil had been previously contaminated the choice become the simple equation of whether to continue with gardening the soil or to discontinue. The choices are the same when it come to other food related sources and their inherent dangers. Does one take the risk or does one choose to find an alternative? However, as previously shown, the wide variety of information and conflictions within that information creates a source of untenable anxiety within society. One example of conflicting information can be found in the associations of the sun and contaminating affects that result in skin cancer. A suntan is viewed as a road to skin cancer. The risk has become a profound change in the way in which society sees its lifestyle, especially when associated with leisure. According to Reichrath (2008, p. 29), over 80% of skin cancer is found where the body has been exposed to the sunlight. However, according to Northrup (2006, p. 431), it is impossible to get the higher levels of vitamin D one needs to be healthy without exposure to the sun. A viable alternative is to take doses of vitamin D in order to increase those levels. In assessing the risks, one has to calculate the risks involved with each source of the need. As shown, the contradictory information creates an impossible web from which to create a risk free solution. According to Beck (Bromley et al 2009, p. 80), “we are in a period of transition towards a risk society, where political and policy considerations increasingly come to focus on the distribution of risks.” Moreover, it must be understood that the considerations of profit and the importance that is relevant to the policy maker who is responsible for decisions regarding a topic will have a great impact on the way in which risk is calculated and how it is taken into consideration. One such example is the use of asbestos. According to Ladou (2002, p. 246), the relationship between lung cancer and the use of asbestos was first reported in 1934. However, cancer was not shown to develop for 30 to 40 years after the product was used. Therefore, in the interest of profit, the information was suppressed in favor of the corporations that had their workers use the product. The way in which risk has developed within the world has shown that as one advance creates a solution, it contributes a new problem that must also then be solved. Eventually, society might begin to ask if creating solutions to lower risk situations has a higher benefit than the long term potential for even greater risks. Social , political, and economic factors contribute to answering the risk questions. In a complex industrialized society, the aspect of risk and uncertainty is incalculable, but none the less, lends itself to be controlled by the power with the greater influence according to the assessment that best serves the immediate interest. This is the modern world. References Adam, B. (2002). The risk society and beyond: critical issues for social theory. London [u.a.], SAGE. Bromley, S., Clark, J., Hinchliffe, S. and Taylor, S. (2009). Exploring social lives. Malta, Guttenburg Press Ltd. LaDou, J. (2002). Occupational and environmental medicine. A Lange medical book. East Norwalk, Conn, Appleton & Lange. Langford, I. H., & Turner, R. K. (2004). Environmental decision making and risk management: selected essays. Cheltenham [u.a.], Elgar. Nestle, M. (2003). Safe food: bacteria, biotechnology, and bioterrorism. Berkeley, CA [u.a.], University of California Press. Northrup, C. (2006). The wisdom of menopause: creating physical and emotional health and healing during the change. New York, N.Y., Bantam Books. Oliver, P., & Hope, A. (2004). Risk, education, and culture. Monitoring change in education. Aldershot, Hants, England, Ashgate. Reichrath, J. (2008). Sunlight, vitamin D and skin cancer. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, v. 624. New York, N.Y., Springer Science+Business Media. Stearns, S. C., & Koella, J. C. (2008). Evolution in health and disease. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Read More