Culture of Fear: Risk-Taking and the Morality of Low Expectation - Softcover

Furedi, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826459307 ISBN 13: 9780826459305

Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group, 2002

Synopsis

Fear has become an ever-expanding part of life in the West in the 21st century. We live in terror of disease, abuse, stranger danger, environmental devastation and terrorist onslaught. We are bombard with reports of new concerns for our safety and that of our children, and urged to take greater precautions and seek more protection. But compared to the past, or to the developing world, people in contemporary societies have much less familiarity with pain, suffering, debilitating disease and death. We actually enjoy an unprecedented level of personal safety. When confronted with events like the destruction of the World Trade Centre, fear for the future is inevitable. But what happened on September 11th 2001 was in many ways an old fashioned act of terror, representing the destructive side of the human passions. Frank Furedi argues that the greater danger in our culture is the tendency to fear achievements representing a more constructive side of humanity. We panic about GM food, about genetic research, about the health dangers of mobile phones. The facts often fail to support the scare stories about new or growing risks to our health and safety. Our obsession with theoretical risks is in danger of distracting society from dealing with the old-fashioned dangers that have always threatened our lives.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Furedi is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is the author of numerous books including Culture of Fear, Invitation to Terror and Paranoid Parenting, all published by Continuum.

Review

'an excellent book' [quotes from title in article] ~ Press & Journal (Aberdeen), Ron Ferguson

'Frank Furedi's books 'are well researched, properly referenced and make an erudite use of old and new sociological theories and concepts...even fairly scholarly style cannot completely conceal the passion he feels for the subject....It was...intellectually fairly challenging..and i thought that the arguments Furedi is making is an important one and worth considering....'Culture of Fear' is wholeheartedly recommended as a provocative read for those interested in analysis of social phenomena.'Magda Healey, The Bookbag, September 2006

Edition details

• Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0826459307
• ISBN 13: 9780826459305
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 205