<研究論文(原著論文)>歴史的偏りの矯正としての予防原則

Abstract

Although there have been long-lasting controversies over the precautionary principle (PP), its rationality is still unclear. The recent work by Daniel Steel offered a promising defense of the PP. His central idea is correction of historical bias related to environmental policies. According to his arguments, the PP is remarkably effective for the correction of historical bias in contrast to cost-benefit analysis and risk trade-off analysis. Furthermore, he argued that the PP is relevant not only to risk management but also to risk assessment, so that the PP can be an important topic of philosophy of science. This paper aims to evaluate and develop the arguments for the PP which Steel defended. After reviewing the existing literature on the PP, I will summarize how his idea gets out of the predica- ment. Then I will identify and examine possible criticisms against Steel's arguments. In particular, I will discuss two important themes which Steel barely mentioned: domain-dependency of the PP and correction of historical bias in the context of risk assessment. My discussion about these themes will contribute to exploring potential advantages of Steel's defense of the PP.