Based on an overview of the history of risk from ancient Greece to the modern era, the chapter discusses some of the most influential perspectives on risk in contemporary social theory.This includes the (world) risk society perspective, the governmentality perspective, and the systems theoretical perspective.A claim is advanced that each of these perspectives highlights key aspects of risk and thus can be seen as contributing, when connected to other perspectives, a coherent understanding of the role risk plays in contemporary societies.
Danger, governmentality, insurance, risk, second-order observation, systems theory
Klaus Rasborg is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University.He is the Danish translator of Ulrich Beck’s Risikogesellschaft (1986), and has published several contributions to the discussion of modernity, risk, individualization, and inequality and class.
