ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by highlighting some of the dangers associated with prevailing risk management strategies before considering the benefits of embracing, rather than avoiding, risk. It considers some of the personal and social costs of risk aversion and focus attention on the relationship between risk and resilience. The chapter notes that a measure of risk-taking is essential for innovation, although the distinction needs to be made between unconscious exposure to hazards and knowing acceptance of risk. It aims to explain key shortcomings in prevailing western thought on risk management and consider some of the benefits that might flow from a significant cultural shift in the perception of risk. The chapter aims to expand on the ideas of Brian Walker and David Salt in relation to systemic attributes that can make some human systems and settlements more resilient than others. To an extent, the recent rise of 'resilience thinking' confirms many of Beck's predictions.
