Which of the following is not true about Ulrich Beck's theory of risk?

A. Beck is openly critical of modernity and its attendant risks

B. Beck's thesis argues that western nations have moved from an industrial or class society

C. He said that hunger is hierarchical, smog is democratic

D. Beck concludes that modernity does not have the capacity to solve problems it produces

E. According to Beck, risks are largely invisible to lay people

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• True. Beck's work, particularly Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity, is a critique of the unintended, dangerous consequences—the "boomerang effect"—of industrial modernity.

• B. Beck's thesis argues that western nations have moved from an industrial or class society: True. The transition from an industrial society (focused on wealth distribution and class inequality) to a risk society (focused on risk distribution) is the central tenet of his work.

• C. He said that hunger is hierarchical, smog is democratic: False. This quote is widely attributed to Max Weber (or sometimes Karl Marx, but Weber is the more common and authoritative source in sociological texts). The idea itself, however, is a key concept that informs Beck's work: that older, industrial risks (like hunger) affect the poor first, whereas new risks (like pollution/smog) transcend class and national boundaries (though Beck did acknowledge that even these risks still disproportionately affect the poor).

• D. Beck concludes that modernity does not have the capacity to solve problems it produces: True. Beck argues that the tools and institutions of "simple modernity" (e.g., science, market mechanisms, nation-states) are often the very sources of the risks, leading to a state of "organized irresponsibility" where these institutions cannot adequately control or solve the risks they generate. He calls for a "reflexive modernity" to address this.

• E. According to Beck, risks are largely invisible to lay people: True. New, manufactured risks (like radiation, toxins in food, climate change) are often invisible, abstract, and global. They require scientific expertise to be identified and assessed, making them fundamentally different from visible, localized, natural disasters. They are "products of knowledge" .

Since statements A, B, D, and E are true about Beck's theory, the only statement not true is C.

Information Booster:

The phrase "hunger is hierarchical, smog is democratic" encapsulates the shift in how hazards are distributed:

• Hunger (Old Risk): Primarily affects the lower classes; distribution is dictated by the hierarchy of wealth and power.

• Smog (New Risk): Originally considered democratic because it seemed to affect everyone indiscriminately (it "rides on the wind")—a concept that fits the early understanding of Beck's risk society. However, later analysis (and Beck himself) noted that, while risks may be universalized, the capacity to escape or mitigate them remains unequal (the wealthy can buy cleaner air, water, and homes). The risk is universal, but the vulnerability is still structured by class.