ABSTRACT
This chapter provides historical perspectives on the origins of risk analysis and management, defines the risk domain, and discusses knowledge and its sources and acquisition, as well as ignorance and its categories, in order to offer a rational justification and bases for risk analysis and management in the context of systems. The practical use of concepts and tools presented in the book requires a framework and frame of thinking that deal holistically with problems and issues as systems. Risk and system concepts are briefly introduced in this chapter and are covered in detail in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively.
