3 Ethical Principles

8/12/2019 3 Ethical Principles

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Ethical Principles


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Ethical Principles

Ethical SystemsThe Use Of An

Ethical MatrixBioethics


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Behaving as a scientist

Science has a system of rules and conventions

some clear

do not publish false data some unspoken

a learned society is not bound to express a

collective opinion on a scientific issue some regularly flouted

publication of a PhD students work by the

supervisor


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The Inherent Values of Science

Free flow of information

Honesty

Curiosity Open-mindedness

Value-free science


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Academic science has rules and norms

Does academic science have an ethos?

How should a scientist behave?

The Mertonian norms


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Principlism

An approach first developed in theUSA medical ethics by TomBeauchamp and James Childress

They built on the proposal by

David Ross made in 1930 that theconflicting principles of Kantianism(deontology) and Utilitarianismwere too rigid and what he calledprima facie principles

These were conditionalprinciplesthat in aparticularcircumstanceallow a strongercase to overrule a weaker one


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The ethical duties of a doctor

Non-maleficence and Beneficence are mainly utilitarian -

Autonomy and Justice are mainly deontological

Non-maleficence and Beneficence are two aspects of well-

being

Cause no harm Non-maleficence

Effect a cure or provide

palliative treatment

Beneficence

Respect a patientsautonomy

Autonomy

Treat patients fairly Justice


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Principles are guides

There is considerableroom for judgement inspecific cases

The ethical frameworkis relevant tomulticultural, pluralistsocieties

They work byproviding actionguides in specificcircumstances


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Theory of JusticeJustice as Fairness

Expounded by John RawlsJustice is the first virtue of social

institutions as truth is of systemsof thought. A theory, howeverelegant and economical, must

be rejected if it is untrue;likewise laws and institutions, nomatter how efficient or wellarranged, must be reformed orabolished if they are unjust.

Justice is blind ( to wealth, age,sex, intelligence, ethnicbackground etc.)

Justice requires equality of

treatment


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Groups having Ethical standing

Stakeholder groups

Interest groups

Claim to be subject to ethicalconsideration in their own right

To have moral standing orethical status

Might include animals, biota or

the biotic community or thebiosphere (NB Rawlsspecifically excluded thesebecause they are incapable ofacting as rational agents in asocial contract but commonlythey are represented by agreen organisation )


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The ethical matrix

Provides a means of examining the ethical positions of all interestgroupsensuring equality of treatment (justice/fairness).

It helps to identify where one stronger principle might overcome aweaker one or where a compromise should be sought

Separates well-being, autonomy and fairness

Respect for: Well-being Autonomy Fairness

Interest group 1 Best outcome Best outcome Best outcome





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Communalism

Research to provide public

knowledge, freely available to

all

But what about

secret government research?

secret commercial research?

Who owns the results - patents?

The Diggers believed that

the land belonged to

everyone


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Universalism

There are no privileged

sources of scientific

knowledge

Race, sex, politics ? Specialism ?

Authority ?

But certain classes andethnic groups are

under-represented in

research.


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Disinteredness

Science is done for its ownsake

How impersonal is researchin practice ?

Research is competitive, notjust in the search forfunding but also forstatus.

High achievingresearchers tend to behighly ambitious?

Personal feuds are rife inacademia ? For examplein disputes over priority ?


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Knowledge for its own sake

A belief that scientific

knowledge is

politically andethically neutral is

challenged by the

misuse of scientific

knowledge


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Originality

Science is the discovery of

the unknown

Plagiarism ?

Publication of the same

results in multiple

journals ? Routine stamp-

collecting surveys ?


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Sceptical

Is sceptical of given

opinions

Challenges accepted

views


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The ethos of academic research

Are the Mertonian norms simply an empirical(factual) generalization covering the observedbehaviour of academics?

There are many examples where they are not

upheld

BUT what would academia be like if theywere not largely upheld?

They represent a coherent ethos of academiaand define an ideal pattern of behaviour


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Does academic research have an ideology?

There is an obvious relationship between the Mertonian CUDOS normsand human rights

e.g. the right of free speech and equality before the law

Michael Polanyi the republic of science is an enlightened model forsociety at large

In this context it is interesting to see how external social forces havetransformed academia into more hierarchical and bureaucratic forms

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3 Ethical Principles