Automatic threat mechanisms reduce risk by discouraging nerve tests

Evidence

The tactic may be the less risky, the more automatic the mechanism is; the more automatic it is, the less incentive the enemy has to test my intentions in a war of nerves, prolonging the period of risk. — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 808 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

All disembedding mechanisms take things out of the hands of any specific individuals or groups; and the more such mechanisms are of global scope, the more this tends to be so. Despite the high levels of security which globalised mechanisms can provide, the other side of the coin is that novel risks come into being: resources or services are no longer under local control and therefore cannot be locally refocused to meet unexpected contingencies, and there is a risk that the mechanism as a whole can falter, thus affecting everyone who characteristically makes use of it. — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 310 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Automatic mechanisms lower risk by deterring tests of resolve — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 808; Disembedding mechanisms remove control from individuals and create collective risk — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 310; The motor system automatically suppresses action toward others’ property. — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 584

Related

• Automatic mechanisms lower risk by deterring tests of resolve (similarity 0.95)

Broader Connections

• Automatic mechanisms lower risk by deterring tests of resolve #corroborates (0.98) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 808
• Disembedding mechanisms remove control from individuals and create collective risk #complicates (0.78) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 310