ABSTRACT
RAP provides the framework for many special theories of risk. Its strength is based on the fact that it combines a model of individual action and a model of social interaction. According to RAP, individual human agents are the atoms of the human universe. In this sense, RAP is based on an atomistic worldview. While atomistic ideas were first developed by the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, they developed into a basic framework of thought, a worldview, only with the advent of modernity. In the realm of natural phenomena, Newtonian mechanics provided an atomistic explanation of an astonishing variety of phenomena. In the realm of human affairs, RAP played a similar role. Here we describe the worldview which provides the philosophical underpinnings of RAP as mechanistic thinking. 9
