Comprehending Conceptual Structure in Risk Through Phenomenology

Abstract

Although there have been many studies on the concept of risk in previous research, there is no widely accepted concept or definition of risk. Since risk is a concept and does not exist in nature, its essential nature cannot be pursued in ways that are generally considered scientific. This has implications for risk management and risk engineering. To solve this problem, we attempt to abstract the structure that makes people feel a particular way, which is common when people feel that there is some risk in a way that does not specify the field or type of risk, through phenomenology and non-conventional science based on it. The structure of risk from the perspective of the perceiver can be summarized as (1) having a future story that the perceiver does not want to be influenced by surroundings and (2) holding a personal belief, doxa, or conjecture that an incident may affect the progress of that story and prevent it from going forward as expected. Having a future story is the premise for the existence of risk, while holding a person belief about the story's progress is the essential nature of what we generally call risk. This new perspective could trigger a paradigm shift in risk-related academia and practices, such as risk management and risk communication.