Risk Perception and Analysis: Historical Perspectives
Discuss about the Risk Perception and Analysis by William C Clarke.
Study of risk perception intends to understand various hazardous technologies and activities. Risk analysis searches the ways to develop methods regarding eliciting opinions about risk, develop communication of risk information and provide the basis to know and anticipate the public reaction to the issues.
The following report summarizes the various points noted by William C Clarke provided in his paper. It is based on three stories namely Witches, Floods and Wonder Drugs and an overall set of concepts are identified by those tales. The study intends to present those ideas, interpreting those contents from own point of view.
Risk denotes the future uncertainty regarding deviation from different intended outcomes and earnings. It measures the different uncertainty that any investigator desires to undertake. It helps in realizing the profits from any investment. In this report, these factors are examined through the following stories discussed by Clarke.
For many centuries, societal risk analysis denoted witch hunting. The society blamed witches for rotting the wheat fields, dying of sheep due to unknown causes, damaging of vineyards with unseasonable frost, a rise of human impotence and disease. At that time the contemporary expertise was summoned to give justification to those untraceable causes and solve the desirable outcomes. Instead of searching for specific sources of specific evils, the researchers of that time acknowledged their ignorance and limitations. The generic name given to the problem was “witchcraft” to the unknown phenomenology. This helped them to find an interest dedicated professionally to their control and investigation.
Some of the specific insights of risk phenomenon are drawn from attempts of human benefits to control various environmental sources. Different researchers of anthropology have proved that stories from pre-industrial era interpreted risks mainly through changes in man’s behaviour. As viewed from outside those adaptations has commonly appeared to be irrational and mystical. Identifying various instances in such cases of risk management, different common themes are seen. In every case, variability or uncertainty in a natural system has been initially seen as the source of hazard or risk. It is assumed without exception that eradication of variability has been an unmitigated solution. It resulted in a decrease of risk and enhancing performance of resource system.
It is seen from the history of drug development, that medicines have been combating specific ills of men and improving the health and well-being of people. This, in turn, has been posing various risks of a different type. First of all, the risk exposure has been restricted to the people searching for related benefits. Secondly, the chances are undertaken with near consultation with professionally trained for helping patent balancing personal risks, alternatives and benefits in specific scenarios. Lastly, the nature of the threat has been carefully examined, assessed and demonstrated by sophisticated and rigorous analysis. All of the characteristics of medical drugs have made their regulation and study more natural relative to additional risk situation. Seeing at the early stories of drug safety efforts, it is expected to learn the best that can be used for risk analysis in led tractable and mature fields.
Insights from Anthropology on Risk Management
Clark starts by noting the fact that people found a convenient label in the witches for different unknown fears. This has been their way to deal with inevitable misfortunes befalling happiness, health and crops. Further, Clark mentioned that wise hunting turned into horror has public panics generated and numerous women alleged witches had been executed across Europe. His example has helped me in the understanding cause on the kind of proof we admit in the attempts to answer (Clark 1980). In both of his stories of chemical and witch hunting, there has been a conceivable empirical observation that is logically forced to respond. In both the case there are stopping rule that inevitably stops the analysis short of a revelation of a kind of guilt.
In the past century witch hunts, the principal inquisition tool to recognize witches were torture. Women identified as witches were tortured till she confessed the truth as needed to hear from the society. Moreover, I came to know that in our present chemical inquisitions, some cannot be stated as a risk with a parts-per-trillion test. I have understood that here the stopping rule is recognizing of a discovery of exhaustion or sought-for effect of the investigators. Investigators of our environment proclaimed a decade ago that the dioxin had been one the most carcinogenic chemicals found ever. Responding to those problems, dioxin has been proved to a huge menace. I will be unable to understand the complete scientific fact for some time shortly. It is evident that similar to the witch hunters of the past, members of different government bureaucracies has comprised of considerable stakes in the results. It has been as massive as chemical manufacturers who different scientific reports have been dismissed routinely by various people. In this case, Clarke has noted that there has been undoubtedly the element of opportunistic careerism in the inquisition. Besides, it has been indeed the element of opportunistic careerism in current risk analysis movement. Rise in fear of public is a long-time bureaucratic strategy that is practiced smartly in this current era.
However, environmental witch hunting is just one of the ways where more radical segments of the current environment movement revived the previous heritage. Clarke states that as people ask questions, the evidences attempted to answer them have been of high importance. Under the tool of Inquisition principle, the identification of tools has been a torture. It has been obvious that no innocent person can admit being a witch under mere physical torture. Thus most of them found it to give up and move towards fire. However, today, the risk test has been always getting exposed to various examinations. The defense of modern science against self-delusion has been depending on spirit of open and complex inquiry.
I have understood that it is possible to experience the Creation in nature from the theological perspective. Further, it has been possible to encounter God free of corruptions that are introduced by the sinful humanity. Environmentalism has undertaken the worthy job to develop the religious grounds further for stewardship of the earth. This has been well to recall those lessons of past. As a matter of environmental regulation of chemicals, the future credibility of the environmental movement has tested on demanding strict standards of proof prior taking steps displacing various people. They have been spending billions of dollars of hard-earned citizens. Every feature of medical drugs makes their analysis and regulation easier. This is relative to various risk situations. As Clarke looks into the history of drug safety efforts, in past decades, it is seen that people has discovered their best. This is what, that has been expected from risk analysis under less mature and tractable areas. Proper assimilation of tactics of risk analysis has been emerging from the most sober contemplation. Clarke states that people need to learn to make effective analysis on the use of various empirical experiences emerging in various countries within regulatory approaches.
Here fame and unfathomable lucre have waylaid and seduced the very best and brightest of the sworn not to harm. Thus it is seen that acceptable risk is just a story of a quest. It is researchers hunt for the ultimate drug and pursuit of women regarding self-understanding. To both the people, the two seemingly distinct searches have collided with different devastating consequences. Clarke who penned down the high-tech horror in his article has tantalized medical thriller that enriched through disturbing the ring of truth.
Lastly, it must be noted that the various apparent ethical dilemmas have been less than what it seems. Here, the fight one which expert to believe is transposed to a contest over which researcher has analyzed between and helped in learning faster. They have also been helping to make further risk management more effective endeavor that the past and present.
Conclusion:
As our family and friends have been behaving irrationally and involved in behaviors and fears and even agreeing in dysfunctional, we must stop arguing with them. Instead, they must be sent to the analyst. This has been their irrational impulses needed to be understood as they are to change. Like after many years of prohibition, the banning of drugs has not worked. However, humanity has been persisting. The above discussion has answered that question. The report reveals that it is the time to psychoanalyze drug policies, seeking for irrational anxieties and fears that have been lying at the core. I have found a surprisingly useful parallel in another law from long ago. It is the Witchcraft law from the 16th century. Though entwining the three stores summary of Witches, Floods and Wonder Drugs together, the report argued that our acts of a drug have not been meant for getting rid of drugs anymore under the inquisition needed for banning the bad. I have come to know that the crime of acquiring is just the sin of being possessed.
References:
Clark, W.C., 1980. Witches, floods, and wonder drugs: historical perspectives on risk management. In Societal Risk Assessment (pp. 287-318). Springer, Boston, MA.
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