CAUTION PRINCIPLE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 384 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
Innovation of any kind should be carefully scrutinized in order to try to understand their possible side effects and, in cases, to avoid them.
Unobstrusive possible effects may include delayed effects , mass effects, spillower effects , etc., all of them easily ignored or underestimated, but frequently quite difficult or impossible to overcome, once manifested. This is specially important in applications of scientific discoveries.
Countless examples have been registered during the 20th Century, as for example acquired resistance of many kinds of bugs to insecticides, and of pathogens to antibiotics, or unmanegeable cars traffic in cities and roads.
The first condition for practical caution is the understanding of possible links , between appearently unconnected aspects, or eventual accumulation of effects short, medium and/or long term
At least a clearer understanding of not obvious effects permits a better balanced evaluation of decisions to be made, or not.
Caution principle is also known as “precaution principle”
See also
Cassandra's syndrome, Risks analysis, Risks in human issues