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Defending the Conception of “Objective Risk”
Author(s) -
Hermansson Helene
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
risk analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1539-6924
pISSN - 0272-4332
DOI - 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01682.x
Subject(s) - objectivity (philosophy) , epistemology , psychology , risk assessment , risk analysis (engineering) , social psychology , philosophy , medicine , computer science , computer security
The notion of “objective risk” is frequently discussed within the risk literature. While some argue that risk analysis measures objective risk, others claim that there are no real, objective risks—only subjective descriptions of them. “Objectivity” in these discussions often presupposes value‐free, dispassionate, and impartial analysis. Feminist epistemology offers a different interpretation of “objectivity” that is more context‐bound. It is argued that even though every risk can be described in several different ways, and does involve value judgments and emotions, the objectivity ideal should not be abandoned.