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Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear

Author: Dan Gardner
Publisher: Virgin Books
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

9 reviews
Sales Rank: 6526

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4

ISBN: 1905264151
EAN: 9781905264155
ASIN: 1905264151

Publication Date: March 6, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book dispatched from stock in the UK

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Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

And the odds are . . .? July 21, 2008
Dan Gardner's concerned about how we handle fear. In North America, of course, a single event, the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon generated a new level of fear in the population. So unexpected and abrupt was use of commercial aircraft in a terrorist assault that an avoidance of flying was the immediate and widespread reaction. Gardner, however, wants to consider the event and the reaction in a more rational perspective. He notes at the outset of the book that the chance of dying in auto incidents is far higher than that of flying. As the statistics proved - since nearly 1600 additional auto deaths - about half of those lost at the World Trade Centre - were added to the annual total in the following year. Gardner taps into psychology and the field of risk assessment in this fascinating study of how we deal with fear. We aren't doing a very good job of it.

For millions of years animals relied on quick responses for survival. Reaction to potential danger or a possible meal left no time, nor need, for reflecting. Act fast or expire. That kind of brain is now called the limbic system, or "lizard brain". Evolution granted humans a chance to build on that foundation to produce a "thinking" part of the brain. The limbic system is still in place, however, and issuing commands we are rarely aware of. Psychologists, says Gardner, call these System One and System Two. The author, in the best journalist's style, calls these The Gut and The Head. The Gut reacts to crisis situations quickly and effectively. The Head follows along later at a more deliberate pace - if it gets any voice at all.

Gardner is eager to have us understand how these Systems work. He contends that we are carrying a reaction system founded on our ancestors' time on the African savannah. Our brains haven't adapted to the fast-paced, high technology world around us. We are reacting almost entirely with The Gut, and we are making serious mistakes as a result. Are we truly under threat from the things we claim to fear? He cites numerous cases, from the fear of "man-made" chemicals through the spectre of cancer to the possibility of our children being assaulted by strangers. Each of the topics is introduced with our given views - usually captured by polls, then carefully assessed by examining the real odds. In every case, the important things to consider almost certainly haven't been. The breast cancer campaigns have uniformly overlooked the role of age in determining the likelihood of its occurrence.

The calculations leave little doubt that we are far too often looking at threats with little consideration of their true nature. Why are we reacting so readily with The Gut instead of with The Head? In no small part, Gardner argues, media, politicians and industry play a significant part. Media, anxious to sell its products, emphasizes the violent, the extreme and the bizarre. The result, of course, is that's what captures our attention. The bombardment of such stories, often unthinkingly repeated by politicians, is a reinforcement of The Gut's reaction to this kind of information. Never seeing a rational analysis of such news, we lose any sense of proportion about what is truly important. We rarely find the opportunity to consider an issue rationally before the next one is upon us.

Gardner is not simply playing a new form of "scare" journalism. Various scholars have researched each of the topics. Their tests are well described and the analyses are carefully explained. These examples provide the book with a sound foundation, making this book something to consider carefully. As a conclusion, the author reminds us that we haven't taken into account the benefits our time enjoys when compared to even the recent past. Childhood diseases, such as diphtheria, have been removed as a threat to our families and society. We should remember that and remind ourselves to use The Head when events are trying to drive The Gut to dominate our thinking. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

4 out of 5 stars

Good content but not the easiest read July 20, 2008
First of all let me say that the content of the book is thought provoking, and contains lots of information which might change your mind when weighing up the risks of everyday life. BUT it is devoid of maps, graphs or figures which seems mad considering the topic (so for instance trends are described in text rather than by a simple graph), it doesn't have proper references (just some notes with the preceding comment suggesting the reader uses Google with the key words provided...lazy and perverse considering the use of unsubstantiated claims is one of Gardner's bugbears!) and it could do with a good editorial prune to make the key points punch home with more effect (the BBC TV series "Power of Nightmares" covers some of the same ground as the chapters considering the risk of terrorism, and is a masterclass in hammering home its points in comparison). So this book is good but a wasted opportunity to be great.

5 out of 5 stars

Extremely enlightening June 23, 2008
Not only will this book make you think twice about the fear prevalent today on a whole range of issues, it will also equip you to understand how this has come about and what you can do to avoid being led down the same path.

4 out of 5 stars

The Fear Industrial Complex June 21, 2008
This being Dan Gardner's first book, I am thoroughly impressed. From the language he uses, you can detect in many instances his journalistic background. He starts of perfectly by introducing to us System One (intuitive, quick and emotional) and System Two (calculating, slow and rational). He progresses and simply refers to System One as 'Gut' (gut instinct) and System Two as 'Head'.

Without getting into too much detail, the overall conclusion of the book is that the System One side of our brain (gut instinct) is damaging to our rational thought processes. By following our ancestors' mindset and preferring to listen to stories rather than statistics, we become irrationally fearful of the wrong things and force the media to tell us irrelevant, albeit entertaining stories that subsequently induce fear into our minds. He outlines the dangers of becoming irrationally fearful from the very beginning, such as how 1,500 extra people were killed on the roads as a result of the fear of planes following 9/11 in America.

Some cases in the book seem ambiguous. For instance, it became somewhat confusing as he, within the space of 15 pages, contradicts himself very clearly. On page 83 he talks about how the human mind responds to the presentation of statistics. He mentions how humans do not respond emotionally to `percentages' the same way they respond to absolute figures. "Whats a `per cent'? Can I see a `per cent'? Can I touch it? No. But '20 out of every 100 patients' is very concrete and real" he mentions on page 83. On page 98 he then writes "Even saving `85 per cent of 150 lives' garnered more support than saving 150 lives. The explanation lies in the lack of feeling we have for the number 150. It's vaguely good, because it represents people's lives, but it's abstract. We can't picture 150 lives and so we don't feel 150 lives. We can feel proportions however." It's these few lines that I find contradicting in the book.

Overall though, the book is very insightful, if not a bit verbose, and witty. Gardner reminds the reader of the incentives to invoke fear in every area of society. He covers a wide range of areas, from psychology, sociology and biology which make the book even more unique and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It leaves you slightly more incredulous and forces you to question any news story, or politician that even slightly plays to your fears; Rudy `9/11' Giuliani....I'm looking at you.

5 out of 5 stars

Puts everything back into perspective! June 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

From how our prehistoric brain assesses risk and copes with modern life, to the impact that the modern media has upon our subconscious... This book is fascinating and a must-read. Although this is not a long book, it would have been an even better read had it been more concise... Perhaps 100 pages fewer, as I found it lost pace at points. However, don't let this put you off what is a great book and a real eye opener to the way in which we assess risks without realising.