Date of Award
1-1-2015
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School/Department
Department of Philosophy
Content Description
1 online resource (vi, 131 pages) : illustrations.
Dissertation/Thesis Chair
Kristen Hessler
Committee Members
P. D. Magnus, Ron McClamrock
Keywords
Cost-Benefit Analysis, Ignorance, Precautionary Principle, Uncertainty, Risk assessment, Risk perception, Danger perception, Avoidance (Psychology)
Subject Categories
Philosophy | Philosophy of Science | Public Policy
Abstract
Most precautionary principles discussed in the regulatory literature argue that one ought to be more risk averse when one is uncertain about the probability of some sig- nificant danger. I explore a new kind of precautionary principle, one that addresses avoiding dangers we did not explicitly consider at all. Since it is unclear how uncon- sidered dangers could be avoided, I sketch a methodology for identifying situations where unconsidered dangers seem especially likely, by drawing from the literature in psychology on heuristics and biases and evaluating our cognitive “blind spots.”
Recommended Citation
Milanese, John Raymond, "Expecting the unexpected : a precautionary principle addressing unconsidered dangers" (2015). Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024). 1466.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/legacy-etd/1466