Ever since German sociologist Ulrich Beck's Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity? was translated into English in 1992, "risk sociology" became the last great popular theory of the 20th century.
Risk sociology touches upon many theoretical disputes of society, the scope of which exceed this article. More attention, however, should be paid to the fact that the concept of risk is closely related to the notion of "globalism." Where there is globalism, there begins to be risk. The so-called risk that exists today isn't the "percentage of danger" with which we are all familiar. Instead, it describes the kind of symbiotic relationship -- "pull one hair and the whole body moves" -- that has evolved with globalization. This risk is thus more complicated and calls for even more careful attention.
When discussing the pairing of risk and globalization, we must not ignore the new risk that has arisen from developments in science and from the formation of epidemic diseases -- namely, globalized epidemics. In the latter part of the 20th Century, society entered a phase of high-level technology, mobility and interactive "post-modernism." Along with rapid changes occurring among people and things, as well as science's own abnormal transformation, problems related to technology, viruses and pollution quickly began to globalize, becoming significant elements of a larger risk. AIDS can be considered an early case of this, while mad cow disease is a more recent example. Only a few years ago people viewed mad cow disease in Britain from a bystander's perspective. Out of nowhere, it managed to spread to the point that today, over 100 countries have been exposed to it. The hantavirus problem, which appeared recently in Taiwan, is another manifestation -- another gift that came along with globalization. Globalization enables epidemics to spread rapidly and makes ancient diseases reappear. Proof of this exists in the fact that several ancient parasitic worms, cholera, typhoid and even tuberculosis have begun to reappear in wealthy countries.
The high risk of epidemics brought with globalization doesn't detract from the importance of globalization, but rather points to the need for all societies to strengthen their risk management -- a more flexible system where people are better able to react, grasp new information, make appropriate judgements and take suitable action.
In terms of the risk of epidemics, national and hospital quarantine and inspection departments might need to have wider-based functions. Our response to mad cow disease was slow compared to other countries. It is evident that if Taiwan wants to survive in an age of globalization and high risk, it still has a lot of hard work to do in many areas.
Strengthening understanding of "risk sociology," conducting more research into each risky by-product of globalization, and subsequent mobilization on each risk -- perhaps this is the direction our efforts should be heading.
Nan Fang Shuo is publisher of The Journalist magazine.
Translated by Scudder Smith
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