Ethical Aspects of Science and Technology

Ethical Aspects of Science
and Technology
Group 13
WFR 8:30 – 10: 00

Ethics
 an idea or moral belief that influences the
behavior, attitudes, and philosophy of life of a
group of people
 moral beliefs, and rules about right or wrong
 how men shall live with one another

Moral Vision
I. Ionian Greeks
techniques and
medicines and
religions
versus
reasonableness,
evidence, moral
satisfaction and
happiness

Moral Vision
II. European
 Usual agricultural and
nomadic idolatries to
One God (God of all by
virtue)
 Nonpictorial nature of
the new One God

“For knowledge itself is power”
- Francis Bacon

The knowledge given to us by
science enables us to apply laws and
principles, to do something new and
to obtain new technological
products.

Human activity is the subject of ethical
laws. The product of mechanical, chemical
and electrical technology itself is neutral. It
is our actions that are the subject of ethical
imperatives.

New science brings
NEW
TECHNOLOGY!

New technology can be used in a
G
O
O
D
W
A
Y
B
A
D
W
A
Y
OR

New science + resulting technology =
NEW
ETHICAL
PROBLEMS!

German 1945 Syndrome
 After the Second World War, after the murder of
millions of people in the concentration camps,
too many German people either said that they did
not know anything about the Holocaust or that
they had just been following orders.

Ethical Imperatives
 The first ethical
imperative of a
responsible citizen is to be
informed about the
possibilities opened by
science and technology
and their potential
dangers.

Ethical Imperatives
 The second ethical
imperative is to
participate in decision
making in an informed
way, with personal action
or political influence, in
her/his own city and in
the world.

Debate and sometimes confusion about
who is responsible for the misuse or abuse of
power given us by science and technology
Examples:
 the atomic bomb  discrimination against
people who carry
defective genes

Atomic bomb
 (1939) new phenomenon in physics-- explosion of
atoms with a discharge of 200,000,000 volts of
energy
(there was wrong prediction about how long it
would take to apply the discovery practically)

Atomic bomb
 (1942) Manhattan Project
- President Roosevelt
employed thousands of
physicists and technicians
to try to put Hahn’s
discovery to practical use,
to make an atomic bomb

Atomic bomb
 (1945) An American
aeroplane dropped an
atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
destroying much of the city
and many of its inhabitants.
Three days later, a second
atomic bomb was dropped
on Nagasaki, and on the
same day Japan surrendered

Atomic bomb
 The initiation of
Manhattan project was
justified by the fear that
Nazi Germany would make
an atomic bomb first and
use it to overcome the
free world.
 The use of the bomb was
justified by the fact that
the enemy, Japan, refused
to surrender and was
inflicting many casualties
among American soldiers.
It was claimed to be an
act of self defense.

Genetics
 Timeline:
Gregor Mendel
H.
Smith
A. Maxam,
W. Gilbert &
F. Sanger
Thomas
Morgan H. Muller
O. Avery,
C. McLeod
& M.
McCartyr
J. Watson &
F. Crick
S. Luria ,
M. Human,
G. Bertani
& J. Weigle

Genetics
 (1990) Human Genome Project was initiated
under the leadership of James Watson, with the
aim of sequencing the human genome in 15 years.
Many human genes have already been done,
making it possible in some cases to determine if a
person has a defective gene which will make
them sick later in their life.

Genetics
 Genetic screening - genetic screening can
be used to discriminate against those who have a
defective gene
30% of all applicants for individual health insurance in the
USA are denied cover on medical grounds

Genetics
 Code of codes - The consequences of the
genetic revolution for individual health insurance
are straightforward: people who are known to be
at higher risk for genetic illness will be denied
insurance or sold insurance that excludes the
conditions most important to them.

 Scientific knowledge can be used by society to do or make
something:
 generation of electricity using nuclear reactors
 by cloning and sequencing human genes, it is
possible to make medical products or to cure by
gene therapy. By cloning and sequencing the very
same genes, it is possible to advise potential
carriers of defective genes

The moral obligation of scientists is to inform
the general public of the possible ways that
scientific knowledge can be used and
misused.

To stop scientific research is both impossible
and unwise.
To slow down technological `progress’, may
be very wise.
Science is necessary, technology not always..

 The tendency to couple basic science as closely as
possible with technology
 will be possible to produce new technological
products such as medicines, diagnostic tests, new
plant varieties, more quickly
 more technology means more money, the country
with better for everybody will have less
unemployment, so more technology is better for
everybody.

Examples of Technologies that have gone Sour

Thinking seriously about the possible future
effects of new technology
 James Watson, as head of the Human Genome
Project, decided to invest 3 percent of its funds
to create a working group on its Ethical, Legal,
and Social Implication (ELSI)
Global Marshall Plan (Al Gore)

 He proposed five strategic goals:
1. The stabilizing of world population
2. The rapid creation and development of environmentally
appropriate technologies, especially in the fields of energy,
transportation, agriculture, building construction, and
manufacturing
3. A comprehensive and ubiquitous change in the economic
`rules of the road’ by which we measure the impact of our
decisions on the environment
4. The negotiation and approval of a new generation of
international agreements
5. The establishment of a cooperative plan for educating the
world’s citizens about our global environment

What are the principal ethical issues created
by modern biology?
Human
embryo
research
Release of
genetically
engineered
organisms
into the
environment
Misuse of
genetic
screening
modification of
genes in the
human germ-
line

Important ethical issues should be decided by
direct democracy

Introduction to
Engineering Ethics

NASA Case: Launch of the Challenger
Professional
engineering
judgement
Professional
obligation
versus

 Roger Boisjoly
He believed that as an
engineer, he had an
obligation to render his best
technical judgement and to
protect the safety of the
public.

Introduction
 Importance of:
 engineering knowledge to the lives and well-being
of the public
 the consequent responsibilities that engineers bear
(the responsibility to use knowledge in a way that
protects and benefits the public)

All engineers will encounter situations
requiring ethical reflection and decision
making so it is important to study
professional ethics because studying
professional ethics will make engineers
better professionals.

2 Kinds of Ethics
1. Professional Ethics: has to do with ethical
standards adopted by a professional community
2. Personal Ethics

Although they are different, you cannot
fully separate the two; personal ethics is
a foundation for professional ethics

 National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE)
 concerned with non-
technical matters [i.e.
licensing, professional
development, etc.]
Note: the NPSE code is the one used as the
basis for this discussion

Professional Ethics
 Professional Ethics as Role Morality
Role Morality?
Special obligations and prerogatives attached to a certain roles
(i.e parents: take care of children)

Note: obligations may conflict
For instance, a doctor may believe that medical
confidentiality compels her to refrain from telling a
woman that her future husband has a serious
disease that can be transmitted through sexual
intercourse and that he could have contracted it
from someone else; in her role as an individual
human being rather than a doctor, she may believe
she should tell the patient about the danger

 Issues in Engineering Ethics
WHAT SHOULD THE CODES SAY?
WHAT DIRECTION DO THE CODES GIVE IN
PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES?
Sometimes there is not sufficient instruction as to what is to
be done in particular situations.

Engineering Ethics As
Preventive Ethics
 Preventive Ethics: wherein one does not
wait until something is obviously amiss
before taking appropriate action;
anticipates possible consequences of
actions to avoid more serious problems
later

2 Dimensions Of Preventive Ethics
1. Engineers must think ahead to anticipate possible consequences of
their actions
2. Engineers must think effectively about those consequences and
decided what is ethically and professionally right
 Responsible engineering requires familiarity with the kinds of
circumstance in engineering practice that call for ethical sensitivity
and reflection
 Also requires opportunities to gain a clearer understanding of the
concept and principles that are essential to ethical reflection in
engineering

BEFORE
Engineering did not
emphasize on the
importance of including
ethics as part of the
engineering curriculum
NOW
The Accreditation Board
for Engineering and
Technology (ABET)
requires it

Ethical Aspects of Science and Technology

Education in Preventive Ethics
 5 main objectives:
1. Stimulation of the moral imagination
2. Recognizing ethical issues
3. Developing analytical skills
4. Eliciting a sense of responsibility
5. Tolerating disagreement and ambiguity

Ethical Aspects of Science and Technology

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