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Risk has become one of the main topics in fields as diverse as engineering, medicine and economics, and it is also studied by social scientists, psychologists and legal scholars. But the topic of risk also leads to more fundamental questions such as: What is risk? What can decision theory contribute to the analysis of risk? What does the human perception of risk mean for society? How should we judge whether a risk is morally acceptable or not? Over the last couple of decades questions like these have attracted interest from philosophers and other scholars into risk theory.
This handbook provides for an overview into key topics in a major new field of research. It addresses a wide range of topics, ranging from decision theory, risk perception to ethics and social implications of risk, and it also addresses specific case studies. It aims to promote communication and information among all those who are interested in theoetical issues concerning risk and uncertainty.
This handbook brings together internationally leading philosophers and scholars from other disciplines who work on risk theory. The contributions are accessibly written and highly relevant to issues that are studied by risk scholars. We hope that the Handbook of Risk Theory will be a helpful starting point for all risk scholars who are interested in broadening and deepening their current perspectives.
List of contents
Part 1: General Issues in Risk Theory. - Part 2: Specific Risks. - Part 3: Decision Theory and Risk. - Part 4: Risk perception. - Part 5: Risk Ethics. - Part 6: Risk in Society.
About the author
Prof. Dr. Dr. Rafaela C. Hillerbrand is head of the research group Ethics for Energy Technology. Before joining HumTec Rafaela Hillerbrand was working as a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford on epistemological and ethical problems for decions under risk and uncertainty. Hillerbrand's research traverse epistemological problems related to the interpretations of probabilities, quantitative modelling, and foundational aspect of statistical mechanics. Hillerbrand holds a PhD in theoretical physics as well as a PhD in philosophy. For her book on the ethics of technology, which covers aspects of applied ethics just as well as genuine theoretical normative ethics, she received the Lilli-Bechmann-Rahn-Preis of the University Erlangen Nürnberg in 2005. Her PhD in physics was awarded the Ingrid-zu-Solms Naturwissenschaftspreis 2008. She is an elected member of the German Young Academy of Sciences (Junge Akademie
Summary
Risk has become one of the main topics in fields as diverse as engineering, medicine and economics, and it is also studied by social scientists, psychologists and legal scholars. But the topic of risk also leads to more fundamental questions such as: What is risk? What can decision theory contribute to the analysis of risk? What does the human perception of risk mean for society? How should we judge whether a risk is morally acceptable or not? Over the last couple of decades questions like these have attracted interest from philosophers and other scholars into risk theory.
This handbook provides for an overview into key topics in a major new field of research. It addresses a wide range of topics, ranging from decision theory, risk perception to ethics and social implications of risk, and it also addresses specific case studies. It aims to promote communication and information among all those who are interested in theoetical issues concerning risk and uncertainty.
This handbook brings together internationally leading philosophers and scholars from other disciplines who work on risk theory. The contributions are accessibly written and highly relevant to issues that are studied by risk scholars. We hope that the Handbook of Risk Theory will be a helpful starting point for all risk scholars who are interested in broadening and deepening their current perspectives.
Additional text
From the reviews:
“The editors have managed to compile an excellent handbook with contributions by leading scholars in risk theory. Although aimed at experts with a scientific background in risk, many of the book chapters would not be misplaced in (post)graduate courses on risk theory. In addition to the content, the book is carefully edited, with a brief table of content and list of references for each of the chapters, making the chapters also easily accessible on an individual basis.” (Neelke Doorn, Science and Engineering Ethics, April, 2012)
“The Handbook of Risk Theory takes it to the big city, right downtown, and explicates it from the expansive perspectives of leading academics and theorists from a wide range of disciplines. This anthology attempts, admirably, to capture the boundlessness of risk—like trying to catch lightning in a bottle—through the lens of risk theory. … It is … a magnum opus in the field of risk theory. Once you’ve read through the book’s 1187 pages, you’ll certainly know ‘risk’ well before you see it.” (Outward Bound International Journal, 2012)
Report
From the reviews:
"The editors have managed to compile an excellent handbook with contributions by leading scholars in risk theory. Although aimed at experts with a scientific background in risk, many of the book chapters would not be misplaced in (post)graduate courses on risk theory. In addition to the content, the book is carefully edited, with a brief table of content and list of references for each of the chapters, making the chapters also easily accessible on an individual basis." (Neelke Doorn, Science and Engineering Ethics, April, 2012)
"The Handbook of Risk Theory takes it to the big city, right downtown, and explicates it from the expansive perspectives of leading academics and theorists from a wide range of disciplines. This anthology attempts, admirably, to capture the boundlessness of risk-like trying to catch lightning in a bottle-through the lens of risk theory. ... It is ... a magnum opus in the field of risk theory. Once you've read through the book's 1187 pages, you'll certainly know 'risk' well before you see it." (Outward Bound International Journal, 2012)
