Ethics in science are complicated and there's no code of conduct that applies to all of science but despite this ethics still play a vital role.
Ethics are important in science because they determine how we react when any choices arise and help us determine which action is the right action to take. While there is no set code of ethics for scientists there is still ethical principles that are generally adhered to and they usually show up in any code of conduct relating to a scientific field. As Resnik (2015) suggests honesty, carefulness, openness, freedom, credit, education, social responsibility, legality and opportunity are all important in approaching science. There are limitations on these principles (how can one have both the freedom to pursue anything whilst also acknowledging social responsibility and legality?) but the important thing to take away is that all of these ethical factors are considerations in any decision made during scientific study and when deciding on a code of conduct in a scientific field.
The easiest way to see the significance of ethics in science is to imagine if we didn't adhere to any of these ideas. When ethical codes/principals are not followed in science the most dangerous consequence is the potential harm to people that can come from a disregard of ethics in relation to others but there is also consequences such as inaccurate and uninformed science or the possibility of scientific knowledge becoming inaccessible to people. Without a code of ethics in science people wouldn't be able to trust the results of scientific study or the scientists performing study.
As a science student I feel ethics are important because they give me a clear idea of what limitations and responsibilities I will have in my future. The field I'm pursuing doesn't have as divisive ethical conundrums as say medicine or biology. Geography and Earth science deal more with honesty and education and other principals to do with furthering the subject and sharing information with others. These are important ideas as they are fundamental in making progress in these fields; problems like global warming don't get solved if the scientists researching it don't have an obligation to share their findings with a wider audience.
So overall I feel that ethics in science are necessary as they protect scientific fields as well as protecting people from science.
>Resnik, D. B. (2015, December 1). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important? Retrieved January 8, 2017, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/
4 comments:
Hi Alicia,
I found your blog this week to be a really relevant summing up of the importance of what we're doing for Assignment 2. It also connects ethics to the field of science and your future career, so it's really interesting to read about how it will apply to your life.
The more I learm about ethics and moral theories, the more I feel like it's such a minefield of differing viewpoints. It's interesting to realise that people who take different actions to us- although we may feel they are wrong- are still probably acting from a ethical standpoint of some sort. Heaps to think about!
Cheers,
Michelle
Hi Alicia,
You've done a good job summing up ethics and raised some valid issues. It's crazy how many different aspects we all need to take into consideration, especially with medicine. You would think that anything to generate more organs is the "right" thing huh, clearly not so.
I'm in a similar situation to you, maths is a very harmless field that I can't see having (m)any ethical issues, similar to geography and earth science. I'm sure I'll call back on this study from time to time as a teacher however..
Floyd
Hi Alicia
A great read on ethics in science. It's a huge topic and one that isn't straight forward and black and white. You are right when you say ethics are important for giving a clear understanding of what the limitations and responsibilities are. Unfortunately, they are not always easy to understand and many of the principles seem to be contradictory.
I agree that if ethics are not followed it can have disastrous consequences.
Thanks Alicia
Such a great blog Alicia!
I hadn't really considered much the topic of ethics in relation to science until this paper although ethics comes up a lot in Anthropology. And you are so right about ethics in regard to environmental matters which is huge. This brings up the theory of posthumanism, which i'm sure you have read about- considering natures rights and ethical factors, the rights of a honey bee or river for example. Ethics in the natural world are so important especially with global warming and other such major natural occurrences happening.
A really thoughtful blog this week!
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