Why should we worry more than previous generations? Ulrich Beck thinks the answer is clear: We are more afraid than ever because we are more at risk than ever. Technology is outstripping our ability to control it. The environment is collapsing. Social pressures are growing. The threat of cataclysm looms and people—like deer catching the scent of approaching wolves—sense the danger. Many others agree with Beck. Peering into the future and imagining all the ways things could go horribly wrong has become something of a parlor game for intellectuals.
