Safe and Sorry? From the Risk Society to the Anxiety Society via the Precautionary Principle

Abstract: The precautionary principle is a judicial version of the common sense notion of "better safe than sorry". It may well be the most innovative and noteworthy new concept in environmental policy over the last twenty years, but I would also say it may well be one of the most dangerous, irresponsible and arbitrary guiding rules. It was first adopted in environmental law but has now spread to other areas and the European Commission states; "[..] in practice, its scope is much wider [..]". The purpose of this paper is to show the dangers of imposing the principle on the areas of terrorism and immigration. The alternative costs of applying the principle are derogation of civil liberties, retrenchment of human rights, staggering democratic procedures, loss of lives and important technology and false security. Most importantly, however, is the cost of anxiety in society. We are now moving from a risk society to an anxiety society via the precautionary principle. The thesis will show how the precautionary principle, anxiety, risk perception and worst-case scenario are all linked together.