It is normally understood as the Hippocratic Oath applied to the global ecology: above all, do no harm. By contrast, the proactionary principle is associated with self-styled futurists, for whom being “human” is defined by our capacity to keep ahead of the game when taking calculated risks, whether by benefiting from success or learning from failure.
在这两者中预防性原则更加广为人知，而且在环境和卫生立法方面也日渐流行。人们一般将其理解为一项针对全球生态的希波克拉底誓言（即医生誓言）：首先，不可伤害他人。相比之下主动性原则则与那些以未来主义者自封的人相关，他们认为“人”之所以为人，就是因为拥有在承担适当风险的情况下抢先一步行动的能力，不管最终是从成功中获益还是从失败中吸取教训。