SOC100H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Thomas Edison, Risk Society, Collective Action

• School: UTM
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC100H5
• Professor: Jayne Baker

Document Summary

Normal accident: an accident that occurs inevitably although unpredictably because of the complexity of modern technologies: e. g. , no. 4 reactor at chernobyl, ukraine, exploded, releasing radioactivity. Risk society: a society in which technology distributes danger among all categories of the population: e. g. , climate change. Technological determinism: the belief that technology is the main factor shaping human history: social conditions allowed technology to flourish, because society desired these tools, e. g. , the steam engine (britain, e. g. , the light bulb (thomas edison) Global warming: the gradual worldwide increase in average surface temperature: amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased exponentially, rates of 2. 05 degrees celsius per century. **increase in losses caused by natural and human catastrophes. Social construction of environmental problems: topi(cid:272) of glo(cid:271)al war(cid:373)i(cid:374)g o(cid:374)ly re(cid:272)e(cid:374)tly (cid:272)a(cid:373)e up, i(cid:374) the (cid:1005)95(cid:1004)"s (cid:271)y a group of elite s(cid:272)ie(cid:374)tists, environmental risks are greater for some groups than for others.