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Risks in the Past and Present

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Risks in Technological Systems

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Reliability Engineering ((RELIABILITY))

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Abstract

Our present society is generally thought of as a risk-society. Individuals die prematurely, cities and villages are destroyed, the surface of the earth is altered and areas of cultivation are lost (Beck, 1986; Nordin, 2005). It can be argued, however, that mankind, throughout its long history, has always lived in a “risk-society.” The surface of the earth has repeatedly been the victim of natural catastrophes, ice ages have destroyed our means of living, bacteria and viruses have periodically exterminated large portions of the population, and lack of nourishment has threatened reproduction (Diamond, 2005).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. History, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Birgitta Odén

Authors
  1. Birgitta Odén
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Albanova Science Center, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Göran Grimvall

  2. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), 651 81, Karlstad, Sweden

    Åke J. Holmgren

  3. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden

    Per Jacobsson  & Torbjörn Thedéen  & 

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Odén, B. (2010). Risks in the Past and Present. In: Grimvall, G., Holmgren, Å., Jacobsson, P., Thedéen, T. (eds) Risks in Technological Systems. Springer Series in Reliability Engineering. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-641-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-641-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-640-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-641-0

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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