Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle
Cass Sunstein, LAWS OF FEAR, BEYOND THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE, Cambridge University Press, March 2005
- 7,442Usage
- 10Captures
- 1Mentions
Metric Options: CountsSelecting the 1-year or 3-year option will change the metrics count to percentiles, illustrating how an article or review compares to other articles or reviews within the selected time period in the same journal. Selecting the 1-year option compares the metrics against other articles/reviews that were also published in the same calendar year. Selecting the 3-year option compares the metrics against other articles/reviews that were also published in the same calendar year plus the two years prior.
Example: if you select the 1-year option for an article published in 2019 and a metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019. If you select the 3-year option for the same article published in 2019 and the metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019, 2018 and 2017.
Citation Benchmarking is provided by Scopus and SciVal and is different from the metrics context provided by PlumX Metrics.
Example: if you select the 1-year option for an article published in 2019 and a metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019. If you select the 3-year option for the same article published in 2019 and the metric category shows 90%, that means that the article or review is performing better than 90% of the other articles/reviews published in that journal in 2019, 2018 and 2017.
Citation Benchmarking is provided by Scopus and SciVal and is different from the metrics context provided by PlumX Metrics.
Metrics Details
- Usage7,442
- Abstract Views7,442
- 7,442
- Captures10
- Readers8
- SSRN8
- Exports-Saves2
- SSRN2
- Mentions1
- Blog Mentions1
- Blog1
Paper Description
What is the relationship among fear, danger, and the law? There are serious problems with the increasingly influential Precautionary Principle - the idea that regulators should take steps to protect against potential harms, even if causal chains are uncertain and even if we do not know that harms are likely to come to fruition. An investigation of such problems as global warming, terrorism, DDT, and genetic engineering shows that the Precautionary Principle is incoherent. Risks exist on all sides of social situations, and precautionary steps create dangers of their own. The idea of precaution seems operational only because diverse cultures focus on very different risks, with social influences and peer pressures accentuating some fears and reduce others. Cascades, the availability heuristic, loss aversion, and group polarization are highly relevant here. Instead of adopting the Precautionary Principle, regulators should take three steps: they should adopt a narrow Anti-Catastrophe Principle, designed for the most serious risks; pay close attention to costs and benefits; and accept an approach called "libertarian paternalism," designed to respect freedom of choice while also moving people in directions that will make their lives go better. An understanding of the dynamics of fear also shows how free societies can protect liberty amidst fears about terrorism and national security.
Bibliographic Details
Provide Feedback
Have ideas for a new metric? Would you like to see something else here?Let us know