Becks Theory of Risk Society - Essay Example

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY-Outline and explain Beck’s theory of ‘risk society’ and consider to what extent it provides an adequate view of contemporary society Name: Institution: Beck’s theory of ‘risk society’ In his work, Becky focuses on building risk into the theory of modern society. Becky treats risk as a defining feature of society. According to Beck, risk forms the dark side of industrial success, technical, and scientific progress, as well as economic growth. Becky still argues that risk has enhanced change in social relationship, political, cultural organization and even in self. Becky examines the risks of late modernity and concludes that these risks are a result of techno-economic decisions and consideration of utility. The contemporary risk society presents a society whose decisions lead to problems and dangers that are a contrast to the established language of control. Beck manages to focus on environmental, health risks, the global financial crises and the terrorist network. This enables him to make relevant trends in the modern society. According to Beck, modernity is an introduction of various global risk parameters. Beck argues it is due to the inability of the modern social institutions to control the risks they created ha risk rebounds as a largely defensive attempt to avoid dangers and problems (Elliot, 2002, p.295). Beck further separates the notion of risk from hazard. She says that the hazard of the pre-industrial society famines, plagues, and natural disaster does not come close to the destructive potential of technological science in the contemporary era. Beck states that, the societal intervention in terms of decision-making is what transforms incalculable hazards into calculable risks. Beck links risks to decision making. Becks suggest that risk society is bound up with the development of rational control that is promoted by modernization. Beck clearly states that the protection from danger decreases as the threat increases in the contemporary era. The modern society as we see is constantly changing expanding and transforming itself. Industrialism utilises the resources essential in reproduction, in the society. According to Beck, the society lacks a comprehension on how the dangers to societal preservation and renewal infiltrate the institution organizations and subsystems of modern society itself (Elliot, 2002, p.297). The risk society thesis warns us against the rise and change of the risk facing the world and the everyday life. The theory also gives an insight of the people’s knowledge of the consequences of the risk and the anxiety it causes. The risk society perceives the cause change within the field of religion as well as sustainable development. The religious groups have strived for a sustainable and reflective development. These religious groups also offer some islands of security to peoples rise in anxiety. Focusing on this insight it will be accurate to state that, a sustainable and reflexive development fails to stop the rise of risk and peoples anxiety about them; therefore, it follows that the religious fundamentalists group might grow. Adam and Alphia observe that environmental risks have increased within the scientific, political, and public spheres. Reports indicate that emissions caused by human activities are the main cause for warming since 1950. Beck argued that the problem facing the western societies was their difficulty to prevent or minimise risk. Beck points out that risk society is an inescapable condition of advanced industrialization. Beck explains that, in advanced industrialization, the produced risk does undermine or cancel the established safety system (2000, p.30). The individuals in contemporary societies have a greater awareness of the risks; they deal with them on an everyday basis. These individuals are sensitive to the risks that are a threat to their health, economic security or emotional well-being. Beck argues that the world we live in facing a rapid change in the technological advancement. The people and places are more intricately connected it is true to say that with each technological advancement the risk increases. Technology and science does have an impact on lives. They do create risks that also affect the environment health as well as general well-being of the society. Beck observed the technology that forms a part of every day’s life in this era might be the cause of an increased risk in the society. Other factors contributing to the increase of risk include science and industrialism. According to Beck, the late modernity is responsible for creating world risk society (Jarvis, 2003, p.2). Jarvis examines Becks argument that progress and risk existed at the same time. For example, the success of industrial modernity is due to its widespread spatial distribution its ability to cross borders and infiltrates cultures. Beck argues that globalization challenges the territoriality and sovereignty of the nation states. This also lowers the power of the state and its citizens to act independently. The industrial modernity also forces states to adopt policies that commensurate with the whims of highly mobile capital. This also denationalises markets creates international patterns of competition for foreign investments. Therefore, globalization results in a power play between territorial fixed political actors and non-territorial economic actors. This does result in political economics of uncertainty and risk where the economic security of a given state faces threats from risks such as capital flights, capital strikes, relocation, offshore production and outsourcing (2000,p.23). Let us consider the aspect of individualization; Javier observes that greater individualisation accompanies greater individual risk. Individuals in the industrial modernity era are exposed to fickle labour markets, flexible labour practices and casualized employment practices. Without access to stable employment, most individuals experience greater risk. They are not able to access educational resources that are provisioned through user- fee-paying delivery or medical services based on private insurance systems. Beck relates science politics and ethics in late modernity the discouraging part is that the future generations are not informed of the dangers created on utilization of certain technologies. Use of technologies makes the risks complete and the ability for science to provide a solution for the risks become difficult. This explains the concept of “world risk society” presented by Beck. The general meaning for this phrase is the limited control humans can have on the global and artificial risks produced by technology. The world in the 21st century is experiencing a rapidly changing technology. Becks view the change as one that increases the risk of society. Beck explains that modernity is faced with its own destructive potential of social and technological development. Beck examines the world risk society and looks at the global risks, which exhibit three characteristics. These characteristics include, delocalization meaning the causes and consequences are not limited to one geographical location. The characteristic of incalculably, which means the consequences, are incalculable. The risks at the bottom involve hypothetical risks, which are based, on scientifically generated unknowns and normative. Lastly the world risk are said to be non-compostable. The localization of these risks does occur in three levels the first is through spatial, the risks spread over national borders and even over continents. The risks are temporal, having a long latency period. Their future effects cannot be reliably restricted and determined another fact is that knowledge and not knowing are changing fast, therefore, the question of the person affected is temporally open and remains disputed (Beck, 2008, p.12). The risks presented are the result of complex processes that involve long chains of effects, these causes and effects cannot be determined with sufficient precision. The manufactured uncertainties make the society more reliant than ever on security and control. Beck confirms that the unknown is what provokes the greatest misunderstanding over the construction of political rules and responsibilities the purpose is to prevent the risks from becoming worse. The major problem of the world risk is that the society has to make decisions concerning war and peace and death and life based on the lack of knowledge. Beck points out that the anticipation on catastrophes whose destructive potential threatens everybody, then the calculation of risk based on reality and rationality breaks down. Let us consider the politicians and their means of averting dangers, they may proclaim that the observance of security standards is assured even when such guarantees are impossible.. This behaviour of the politicians is because they consider the political cost of omission, which is much cheaper when compared to the cost of overreaction. Risk and social inequality, when compared to risk and power, represent the same thing. Beck explains that risk presumes a decision and, therefore, a decision maker the risk produces a radical symmetry between those who take define the risk and profit from them and those who are assigned to them (Beck,2008,p.18). Those assigned the risk has to suffer unforeseen side effects of the decision of others. The extent of these effects is sometimes people pay with their lives, without having the chance to be involved in the decision making process. Let us consider the dismissal of risks in the state that poverty and illiteracy are widespread. This does not mean that these societies are not integrated into world risk society. Beck observes that there is a fatal attraction between poverty social vulnerability, corruption, the accumulation of dangers humiliation and the denial of dignity fast growing in the age of globality of information. It is evident that the poorest reside in the blind spots, which are the worst death zones of the world risk society (beck, 2008, p.20). Beck suggests that the societies control over the risks is by his understanding of risk and its generative cause. Beck differentiates between hazards and naturally occurring events that can produce harm. Risk at this state will represent the harms that evolve from deliberate calculations in the adoption of science and technology to produce wealth. According to becks understanding, risk is an altogether jeopardy or human kind from naturally occurring hazards because risks arise from actions and activities of individuals in the society through conscious decision-making. The generation of risk is connected with the rise of industrial society. Beck differentiates hazards from risks in the sense that hazards are not based on decisions or decisions based on techno-economic advantages and opportunities. Risks always depend on decision; they always arise from transformation of uncertainty and hazards into decisions. The incalculable threats of pre-industrial society are transformed into calculable risks in the course of developmental of instrumental rational control. Bibliography Beck, U. 2008. “World at Risk: The New Task of Critical Theory.” Development and society.1 21. Elliot, A. 2002. “Becks Sociology of Risk: A Critical Assessment.” Sociology. 293-315. Jarvis, D. 2000. Theorizing Risk: Ulrick Beck, Globalization and the Rise of the Risk Society. Singapore: National University of Singapore. Possamai, A. & Possamai A., 2003.Risk Society, Sustainable Development and Religion. Austria: University of Western Sydney. Read More