Democracy, Risk, and Community - Technological Hazards and the Evolution of Liberalism

Zusatztext Hiskes' fluency in both the languages of risk and political theory encourages enlarged thinking beyond both cognitive horizons, and ensures that important shared ontological histories and interconnections are not overlooked. Hiskes does not shy away from encounters with the messiness and complexities of the real world of risk decision making and provides a wealth of institutional and policy critique based upon the unfulfilled demands that technological developments place upon the politics of risk. Klappentext This book presents a novel and compelling thesis about technological risk! liberalism! and policy making in liberal societies. Opposed to most theories of risk that focus on individual decision makers and models or rational choice! this book argues that risks must be seen as intrinsically bothemergent and political phenomena. As such! risks resist reduction to individual actors! events! or decisions. To fully understand and make policy for risk! then! it is necessary to recognize that risks call attention to the connections between individuals and events! to the power being exercised inthe determination and distribution of risks! and to how the failure to see risks as political! emergent phenomena results in policy failure! as in instances of "Not in My Backyard" (NIMBY) controversies. Liberal societies have particular difficulty in coping with risk! due to the excessively individualistic political theory and epistemology that undergirds liberalism. Thus! seeing risks as emergent has dramatic impact on the fundamental political concepts that make up liberal political theory andoperate within liberal societies. The book treats especially the concepts of consent! community! authority! rights! responsibility! identity! and political participation. The meaning of each of these ideas has been altered by modern technological risks! and coping with risk will require that liberalsocieties redefine what these most basic concepts of political principles are to mean in political practice and policy making. Zusammenfassung Explores the connection between technological risk and basic concepts of liberal political theory and practice. The author argues that modern risks are emergent and therefore not reducible to individual actors or events, and that risks challenge basic concepts of liberal political theory....

Product details

• Authors: Richard P. Hiskes, Richard P. (Associate Professor of Political Science Hiskes
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.07.1998
• EAN: 9780195120080
• ISBN: 978-0-19-512008-0
• No. of pages: 208
• Series: Environmental Ethics and Science Policy Series; Environmental Ethics & Science; Environmental Ethics and Science Policy Series
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political theories and the history of ideas; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, Political science & theory, Political structures: democracy, Political science and theory, Central / national / federal government policies, Central government policies, Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies, Centrist democratic ideologies