Renowned German sociologist Ulrich Beck, noted for his work examining the ways in which technology is creating a riskier society, died on Thursday.
Beck died of an apparent heart attack, the New York Times reported, citing German media outlets. He was 70 years old, and is survived by his wife Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim.
Born in 1944 in what is now the Polish city of Slupsk, Beck rose to prominence in 1986 with the publication of his book Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity, in which he argued that the modern society created as a result of technological advancement is inherently riskier than its industrial precursor.
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