Security [antikvár]

ForewordWhat associations are conjured up by the words "safety" and "security"? Safety in road, rail and air traffic? The safety of a nuclear power station ? Security in time of war? Safety precautions against epidemics and natural disasters? Fire safety? Security measures against burglary, intrusion, sabotage, fraud? The list is seemingly endless.Since the dawn of time, man has been exposed to threats of all kinds. These dangers fall into two main categories. On the one hand, there are those arising from the four basic elements known to the science of Ancient Greece, namely earth, water, air and fire, elements which, though life-giving and life-sustaining, also represent a permanent underlying threat to man. The second category comprises the great variety of threats presented by other living creatures on earth. In more recent times man has felt threatened primarily by his own kind. One has only to think of wars, tribal feuds and raiding parties, as well as robbery, fraud and terrorism. Very early on it was realized that timely mobilization of defensive measures could only be achieved if one had suitable warning systems. For a long time, the key role in these was played by watchmen.However, the quest for security and safety is not confined solely to man. It is clearly a basic need, as old as life itself. Indeed, the living world as we know it today could not have evolved were it not for a primeval and genetically rooted need for security. In even the most primitive creatures, the main elements of the security principle can be observed: