
Published online:
24 September 2013
Published in print:
26 May 2011
Online ISBN:
9780191777714
Print ISBN:
9780199576203
Contents
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Are all deaths equal? Are all deaths equal?
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Revealed preferences for risk–benefit trade-offs Revealed preferences for risk–benefit trade-offs
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Dimensions of risk Dimensions of risk
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Ranking risks Ranking risks
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Risk indicators Risk indicators
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Risk to the human condition Risk to the human condition
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Is it safe? Is it safe?
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‘Acceptable risks’ ‘Acceptable risks’
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Conclusion: how risk is measured depends on what we value Conclusion: how risk is measured depends on what we value
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Cite
Fischhoff, Baruch, and John Kadvany, 'Defining risk', Risk: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (Oxford , 2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Sept. 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199576203.003.0003, accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Abstract
‘Defining Risk’ looks at how risks can be specified so we can make choices about them. Effectively defining risk is essential to improving outcomes, but it can lead to a lack of moral feeling or sympathy. Defining risk can be relatively easy for a phenomenon that is easily measured, for example death tolls, but for more complex subjects, such as environmental damage, a range of risk factors must be combined to gain a full picture of the situation. The information gleaned from these definitions must then be converted into an actionable, real-world choice.
Keywords:
certainty equivalent, cost-benefit analysis, discounting, equity, fairness, global warming, insurance, loss, poverty, power, risk
Series
Very Short Introductions
Collection:
Very Short Introductions
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