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When not to use the Precautionary Principle
The Precautionary Principle is not applicable:
- When the scale of a potential risk is too low for precautionary action to have a benefit.
- When the tradeoffs are substantial and known. When we know that not taking action will cause more damage than taking it.
- When the risks are known and priced in. That means people are aware of the risks and voluntarily decide it is worthwhile.
- When only a zero-risk option would be satisfying. There is seldom a 100% safe option.
- When taking risks could strengthen us. Never taking any risks is generally a worse idea than taking sensible ones.
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Preventing risks and protecting resources
The Precautionary Principle prompts us to question our intuitions about the right decisions. The principle was first applied to regulations in Germany for preventing air pollution. It consists of two core components in German environmental law:
- Preventing risks: Legisl...
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The precautionary Principle
The precautionary principle refers to preventing harm by not doing anything that could have negative consequences.
It is best set out by using the proverb "better safe than sorry" or the medical motto, "first do no harm." The principle has strengths and weaknesses, and it i...
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When to use the Precautionary Principle
- When the costs of waiting are low and the safety of something is uncertain.
- When preserving optionality is a priority. Ensuring we don't restrict the available resources or leave messes we can't deal with.
- When the potential costs of ...
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How to use the Precautionary Principle
When dealing with risks, we need to be aware of what we don't or can't know for sure.
How to use the Principle:
- Competing priorities should be combined with other decision-making principles. E.g. "Explore vs exploit" means focusing on existing options before tryi...
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Taking caution before moving forward
Even if we make the slightest change within a complex system, we risk far-reaching unintended consequences.
The Precautionary Principle reflects working with and within complex systems. It focuses on waiting for more complete information before risking the possibility of damage
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The Do Something principle
The principle states that the best way to overcome procrastination and make progress towards your goals is to simply take action, no matter how small.
We often get stuck in a cycle of inaction because we're waiting for the perfect moment or the right amount of motivation to...
People's need to hoard toilet paper
Even though the US has been mass-producing toilet paper since the late 1800s, people still seem to have an issue with this very product and, therefore, buy it in huge quantities, especially during pandemic times.
This is known as 'zero risk bias' by risk experts and it describes a ...
How To Build Good Habits?
Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop. Every behavior that is highly habit-forming from most basic habitual behaviors like eating food, drinking water, having sex to taking drugs, playing video games, browsing social media.
- The habit formation is depend on the frequency of the ac...
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