Keyword: nature

The Risk Society: What It Means for the Idea of Progress and Saving the Planet

Picture: Anil Jadhav Saliem Fakir - The outbreak of the new swine flu virus in Mexico has raised alarm bells and panic across the world. It is another of those incidents pointing to how precarious our world can get when it is subject to sudden knocks and risk. Where we thought we had tamed nature, it continuously proves us wrong. More than one risk coming at the same time multiplies the strain, shows up our vulnerabilities and stretches our ability to respond collectively. Some would describe this as a Kafkaesque experience...