Since the German edition of this book, the topic of risk has experienced
even greater attention, not only in the world of science but also in other
fields, such as economics and politics. Therefore, many new publications
have evolved. To keep with the idea of an encyclopedia for the topic of
risk, this book has been completely reworked. Not only are many updated
examples included in chapter “Risks and disasters” but also new chapters
have been introduced, such as the chapter “Indetermination and risk”. This
new chapter was developed since the question “Is it possible for risks to be
completely eliminated, and if not why?” has become a major point of concern.
Therefore, especially in this chapter, the focus of the book has extended
from a simple mathematical or engineering point of view to include
much broader concepts. Here, not only aspects of system theory have to be
considered, but also some general philosophical questions start to influence
the considerations of the topic of risk.
The main goal of this edition, however, is not only the extension and
revision of the book, but also the translation into the English language to
allow more readers access to the ideas of the book. The author deeply
hopes that the success the book made in the German edition continues and
that readers experience a major gain from reading the book.