Selected methodological issues related to research on security

Abstract

Undertaking security considerations, it is necessary — at first — to define the meaning of the word as precisely as possible, and to make it concrete. The term safety when used without any de-fining of its meaning represents only a conceptual formation, which has no referent existing in the material world. For the substantialisation of this word it is necessary to indicate to whom or to what it is related. The security of any thing — in the broad sense, that is, subjective or objective — results from its present state in a given place and time, in which we do not perceive any threats to it. The above illustrates, of course, an ideal situation, because we can never be sure that all of the potential hazards have been spotted by us and that no new ones have emerged. In the article I also point out that our ability of perceiving threats are conditional by a given subject, object and situation.