Neither science, nor the politics in power, nor the mass media, nor business, nor the law nor even the military are in a position to define or control risks rationally.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that no societal institution can objectively manage risks.
Ulrich Beck's quote highlights the limitations of various institutions—such as science, politics, the media, business, and the military—in their ability to rationally define or control risks. It suggests that risk is a complex issue shaped by various factors, including societal fears and interests, rather than merely being a scientific or legal matter that can be controlled by authority figures.
In practice
In a discussion about corporate responsibility, one might say, 'As Ulrich Beck pointed out, neither businesses nor governments can control risks rationally.'
I long for the simplicity of theatre. I want lessons learned, comeuppances delivered, people sorted out, all before your bladder gets distractingly full. That's what I want. What I know is what we all know, whether we'll admit it or not: every attempt to impose the roundness of a well-made play on reality produces a disaster. Life just isn't so, nor will it be made so.
When analytic thought, the knife, is applied to experience, something is always killed in the process.
Man who man would be, must rule the empire of himself.
The ugliness of bigotry stands in direct contradiction to the very meaning of America.
Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.
It's undeniable that what we are taught as a culture to believe about disability is at odds with traditional notions of masculinity.
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