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Precautionary discourse: Thinking through the distinction between the precautionary principle and the precautionary approach in theory and practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2016

Nathan Dinneen
Nathan Dinneen*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 92 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 nxdgfm@rit.edu
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Abstract

This paper addresses the distinction, arising from the different ways the European Union and United States have come to adopt precaution regarding various environmental and health-related risks, between the precautionary principle and the precautionary approach in both theory and practice. First, this paper addresses how the precautionary principle has been variously defined, along with an exploration of some of the concepts with which it has been associated. Next, it addresses how the distinction between the precautionary principle and precautionary approach manifested itself within the political realm. Last, it considers the theoretical foundation of the precautionary principle in the philosophy of Hans Jonas, considering whether the principled-pragmatic distinction regarding precaution does or doesn't hold up in Jonas' thought.

Keywords

Precautionary principleprecautionary approachWTO Sanitary Phytosanitary AgreementHans JonasJonathan B. Wiener
Type
Research Articles
Information
Politics and the Life Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , Spring 2013 , pp. 2 - 21
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 

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