Ethos of Science

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Ethos of Science
Jared Luxenberg Anja Weyant
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Ziman's Roles of Science

• John Michael Ziman (May 16, 1925 - January 2,
  2005)
• Three major roles played by science
• Pre-instrumental
• Non-instrumental
• Instrumental

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Pre-instrumental

• Research with long-term potential for application
• Example Space Science
• radio astronomy aids in communication industry
• teflon skillets are a spinoff of space program
• Easier to get funding for this research than for
  non-instrumental

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Non-instrumental

• Pure research with no specific goal
• Most university research
• Valuable societal functions
• stimulate and challenge the human mind
• fostering an attitude of rationality and rational
  inquiry
• provides society with experts

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Non-instrumental

• Knowledge benefits everyone available in
  peer-reviewed journals
• consumer protection
• legal disputes (expert witnesses)
• political discourse (policymakers)
• Not as limited by agendas of those funding their
  research

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Instrumental

• Science for a specific goal, product, etc.
• Policy makers value science primary as a mode of
  wealth creation, contributing to the economic
  competitiveness of the nation.
• Funding more justifiable for these projects

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Instrumental

• Frequently produces proprietary intellectual
  property
• can be preserved and kept secret
• could be wrong because it is not peer reviewed
• could be missing important pieces from other
  research
• Limited by the agendas of those who fund them

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Ethos of Science and theManhatten Project

• To whom is science responsible?
• Ethical implications and responsibilities of
• non-instrumental science
• instrumental science
• Social responsibilities ofscientists,
  policymakers, and politicos

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To Whom is Science Responsible?

• Established political authorities
• control funding
• have power to enact laws and policy
• The public
• science benefits everybody
• Markets
• products that are marketed to the public
• creates new industries
• nanotechnology sunscreen, nanophosphors, carbon
  nanotubes

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Ethical Implications of Non-Instrumental Science

• Products of non-instrumental science
• Emc2 and applications to atomic bomb
• discovered from theoretical grounds with no
  immediate application
• later found various
• applications
• atomic bomb, nuclear power, etc.
• GPS
• Szilard's chain reaction precursor to fission
• patented his research
• later tried to get patent classified during WWII
  to stop other countries from doing atomic research

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Why instrumental?
• employed by govt. to make atomic weapon
• Who are the scientists responsible to?
• the public
• their own ethical standards
• the government

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Why develop bomb?
• out of scientific curiosity
• use atomic research to develop reactors, etc.
• fear of the Axis
• answering the call of your country

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Arguments against developing the bomb
• use of bomb can be crime against humanity
• mutually assured destruction
• environmental hazards associated with mining
  and enriching uranium
• cost (current dollar value)
• 20 billion total
• 5 billion per bomb

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Arguments for using the bomb
• Japan wasn't going to offer unconditional
  surrender
• nuclear weapons inevitable, why not develop them
  first

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Arguments against using bomb
• war was over
• Franck Report written by members of project to
  speak against use of bomb
• didn't use large stockpiles of chemical weapons
  to shorten war

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project

• Alternatives to use of the bomb
• ask for support of USSR
• demonstrate atomic bomb publicly to scare enemies
  into surrender

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Ethical Implications of Instrumental ScienceThe
Manhattan Project
Do these factors justify neglect of scientific
ethics?
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Ethical Implications of Instrumental Science

• Are there other situations where it may be
  alright to ignore general scientific ethics?
• Disease outbreaks
• Experiment with people
• Quarantine
• Cloning/stem cell research
• Embryo/stem cell harvesting
• Genetically engineered food
• Danger to ecosystem?

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Summary of Ethical Issues

• Researchers still have a responsibility to
  produce 'good science
• science that is truthful
• science that is socially responsible