PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: EPISTEMOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RISK ANALYSIS PROCESS

Abstract

This paper analyzes, from an epistemological perspective, the so called 'Precautionary Principle' - an environmental law principle broadly invoked in judicial and administrative debates concerning the commercial liberation of new technologies, especially in the biotechnological domain. Starting with the phrasing stated in the 1992 Rio Declaration, we argue that different interpretations of the Precautionary Principle are possible. These interpretations vary according to presuppositions concerning the nature of scientific and technological knowledge as well as the Risk Analysis´ stages in which the Principle is applied. The paper includes a historical overview of different phrasings of the Principle, which can be found in different documents and legislations, and an analysis of its structure, alongside a general epistemological analysis of the notion of scientific certainty and of the nature of technological predictions.