The Tyranny of Time in Risk
One of the challenges of tackling risk is ‘satisficing’. Human persons cannot know everything and so each day based on limited knowledge, venture forward not knowing the outcome. Each new step is a step of unknowing in risk but also a step in learning. This is how humans learn, there is no learning without risk, Risk Makes Sense . This is why I define risk as: ‘the faith and trust required to suspend uncertainty to take an action’.
The challenge of satisficing is a time problem. Humans don’t have endless time to develop infinite knowledge about something – they have to act and so, fallible humans satisfice.
In everything we do, we work with incomplete but satisfactory knowledge. Often such judgments are based on learned heuristics. Heuristics are developed as a tacit way of knowing but are never complete. Satisficing is in a way, a calculated guess based on what we know at the time. Therefore the only way to reach zero harm is to be perfect – omniscient.
Human persons however, are not gods which is why the zero cult takes on religious fervour and statements of faith in denial of human reality . But, if you are concerned about me applying a religious frame to zero vision, you need to get the zero vision ‘spirit’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VIRXEuniWA). Yep that’s right, complete with emotive music, religious imagery, semiotics and gestures and biblical phrases, images of salvation and ‘join the mission’. Yep that’s right, zero is an evangelical ‘mission’. You couldn’t make this s*#t up. What a lovely set up for the zero (Hillsong) convention in May Spain 2021. I can just see the AIHS delegates waving their little zero flags at the Hillsong convention shouting out adoration to the global by-line.
Of course, the zero vision ‘mindset’ (https://vz-businessforum.com/) and ‘concept’ (read ideology) is founded on statements of faith (https://vz-businessforum.com/#1574264418562-19f8abe7-34be). This one is a classic: ‘Vision Zero expresses the belief that every accident, disease, or injury at work can be prevented if the safety, health, and wellbeing of people comes first.’
So, if you have an accident then the cop out follows, you didn’t have safety first. What a delightful belief that can only lead to blaming. This is very similar to well known Hillsong statements of faith that claim healing and salvation and if not achieved then one didn’t have enough faith.
How interesting that the little cartoon on the zero vision website has been taken down (https://visionzero.global/vision-zero-safety-future-congress), a clear indication that zero vision has no vision (https://safetyrisk.net/zero-is-not-a-target-or-vision-its-a-language-discourse/ ; https://safetyrisk.net/believe-the-impossible-and-speak-nonsense-to-people/). I guess the ISSA were satisficing.
At the level of insane fiction is the projection of the zero cult about ‘well being’ (https://vz-businessforum.com/news/new-vision-zero-self-check-tool-wellbeing-and-teleworking-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/). There can be no ethical outcome or ‘well-being’ based on an ideology of counting and brutalism via a number. When your god is metrics, persons come last.
Here is the heart of the problem. Human persons are fallible and must satisfice to act, they must risk. If risk is the foundation of all human enactment then there can never be zero.
The ancient Greeks had two words for the concept of time – ‘chronos’ and ‘kairos’. The word ‘chronos’ represents measured quantitative time. We measure chronos time with watches, calendars and clocks. The ‘kairos’ however, represents qualitative time, when chronos time has no place. When we sit by a river, beach or in the mountains and listen to the sounds of Nature don’t care about chronos time, we don’t look at a watch. Kairos time is essential for well-being. Kairos time is when we discover the awesomeness of living and being, where we breathe in and breathe out without concern for enactment.
However, at the heart of zero is the pace of the clock, the imperative to act. When metrics and numerics define your ‘mindset’ kairos time goes out of the window. Counting and numerics are anathema to well being. This is why we need and love holidays, to escape the tyranny of chronos time. For our own well being we need to be in a place where chronos time doesn’t dictate enactment. When need qualitative time not quantitative time for well-being. Only Safety is in love with Quanta (https://safetydifferently.com/todd-conklin-quanta-risk-and-safety-conference-2019/).
So when you wave about your semiotic flag of zeros (https://vz-businessforum.com/news/new-vision-zero-self-check-tool-wellbeing-and-teleworking-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/), there can be no well-being. When you define activity by a number there can only be brutalism. When you god is zero and your love is objects and counting, persons come last.
Rob Long says
As the cult gets closer to zero hour in Spain, the more cultic it gets. This video on ‘spirit’ a a metaphysical classic, infused with everything from theology etc.
Who would have thought that a secular industry could be so religious.
Of course, engineering has no knowledge with which to assess or analyse its own religiousity or theology/soteriology, hence why they are now so deeply embedded in the religion they don’t know how to get out. This is what eventuates from a narrow mono-disciplinary approach to knowledge, close th club doors and keep all transdisciplinarity out.
Bernard Corden says
We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery – H G Wells