We have now lost the ability to distance ourselves, and are directly confronting artificial creations, be they nuclear, chemical or genetic. The new risks are primarily brought about by science and technology. It appears that there is an increased awareness of risk in contemporary society. People are more conscious of the shortcomings of the experts. Things can go, and have gone, wrong.
Modern society demands ever greater accuracy and predictability.
The paradox is that the more rational our calculations, the more uncertainty and sense of risk we are left with. Our vulnerability is exposed. The more we know, the more we know that we don't know. Risks and risk assessment are a subject of debate among social and natural scientists alike. The German sociologist Niklas Luhmann maintains that we are so obsessed with risks that every single deviation from the norm is presented as a danger.