Risk
The risk that any near-Earth object poses is typically seen through a lens that is a function of both the culture and the technology of human society. "NEOs have been understood differently throughout history." Each time an NEO is observed, "a different risk was posed, and throughout time that risk perception has evolved. It is not just a matter of scientific knowledge."
Such perception of risk is thus "a product of religious belief, philosophic principles, scientific understanding, technological capabilities, and even economical resourcefulness."
Read more about this topic: Near-Earth Object
Famous quotes containing the word risk:
“The Englishman’s strong point is his vigorous insularity; that of the American his power of adaptation. Each of these attitudes has its perils. The Englishman stands firmly on his feet, but he who merely does this never advances. The American’s disposition is to step forward even at the risk of a fall.”
—Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823–1911)
“The married are those who have taken the terrible risk of intimacy and, having taken it, know life without intimacy to be impossible.”
—Carolyn Heilbrun (b. 1926)
“Kemmerick: He’s dead. He’s dead.
Katczinsky: Why did you risk your life bringing him in?
Kemmerick: But it’s Behm. My friend.
Katczinsky: It’s a corpse, no matter who it is.”
—Maxwell Anderson (1888–1959)