The precautionary principle under EU law: a postmodern principle in a post-truth era

We live in a post-truth society, where “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In this context, the core claim of this chapter is that to understand the definition and implications of the post-truth society, it is necessary to analyze the theoretical framework under which the concept of post-truth emerged: post-modernism. Under the theoretical framework of post-modernism, the analysis of the precautionary principle is utterly significant since it can be defined as a “paradigmatic principle” of post-modern law. Indeed, as this chapter will demonstrate, the precautionary principle shares the same features of flexibility (in its double dimension of smooth and adaptable principle) and complexity (as an interdisciplinary principle negotiated by scientific experts and political decision-makers) that belong to post-modern principles.