SMV LECTURES ETHICS IN LIFE SCIENCES
Ethics as a design discipline
This course assumptions:
- Societal needs and problems should be the starting point of science, technology, and
innovation.
- Moral values should be placed at the heart of science technology and innovation.
- Ethics is all about translating values into action, weighing (different stakeholders or
individual actors) values against each other, and morally justifying one’s judgements
and actions.
The direct and indirect, intended and unintended influences of scientists on the moral states
of others is large.
Ethics as design discipline where the same functionality can be realized in many different
forms and shapes. Different values contribute how we design it. For ethical issues there is
rarely one unique correct solution, different solutions might make sense. However, you can
distinguish between better and worse solution relative to what you think are the essential
values. Justifying the choices by referring to the values is key.
Ethics is the practical study of deciding how we ought to act. The branch of philosophy that
deals with morality and values, a systemic reflection on morality (values, norms, beliefs) and
providing reasons to justify our decisions. Without reflection we might easily make the
wrong turn.
Moral problems arise when the values rights, interests, desires of another are at stake or
harmed. So not just your own wellbeing.
- How do we recognize values rights interests and desires? Can be hard by not being
open minded enough.
- How do we define the other? Who is a proper subject of moral concern?
Ethical reasoning is needed whenever we are confronted with a moral problem.
Values are something that you consider to be important and good, things that you think that
really matter. The official meaning: values are (a) concepts of beliefs, (b) about desirable end
states or behaviors, (c) that transcend specific situations, (d) guide selection or evaluation of
behavior and events, and (e) are ordered by relative importance. Values can be translated
into norms, sort of rules. The intermediate step is conceptualization and analysis. Explain
why you think that value is relevant in that certain context.
Further distinction that can be helpful when thinking though moral spheres. Our life plays
out in all different kinds of contexts and hence norms guide our actions in different
situations.
- Ethics in the personal sphere: rules for your relations in your personal sphere with
family and friends.
- Business sphere: rules for business identity
- Professional sphere: rules of e.g. scientific community
- Public sphere: rules for a just society
,Nota bene: many problematic issues in the professional sphere you’ll be working in involve
crossing the boundaries between two or more spheres. In several spheres there are several
types of morally pertinent ‘others’.
Morally problematic does not mean that we have something to reject, it is only something to
discuss and reflect on. Morally problematic issues are everywhere where the values, rights,
interests, desires of another are at stake or harmed. Taking a moral stance means carefully
considering and subsequently deciding whether or not a morally problematic issue is morally
objectionable.
Ethics concerns some of the hardest and most complex choices we have to make. Ethical
thinking is thinking beyond ones inclinations and prejudices. Ethics has many open endings;
many points where different people might take different routes which makes it very hard.
Also, because you are engaged in a moral reflection with someone else, critically reflect and
apply systematic reasoning.
Three families of ethical reasoning:
, Deontology & Utilitarianism
Reason provides access to the universal truth about the world. Truth is an end, not a mean
to some other ends. Plato: you arrive at truth by reasoning which will give you access to
ideas that are somewhere out there. Aristotle: we access truth by the world around us.
Also plays out in ethics, give precedence to things that are true always and ever, or
precedence to things that change all the time and are perceived different by different
people.
The three families of ethical reasoning:
Utilitarianism: greatest benefit for the greatest number. Many extensions to moral subjects
beyond the human realm, lot of animal welfare activists are utilitarianists.
Deontology: law of what has to be. The moral quality of actions is not to be found in their
consequences, but in the action itself because it will manifest that certain principles are
embodied in that action, reasonable and universalizable principles. Categorical imperative
applies always under all circumstances. Anthropocentric, puts humanity at the heart of its
theory in relation to man’s reason we have to understand compulsion to behave in morally
correct fashion. Quite individualistic
Virtue ethics: character. We all have conception what good life looks like and what good
society is, living up to what good life is and contribute to good society. Any judgement on
virtue and character has to be made intelligible by referring to context.
Ethics as a design discipline
This course assumptions:
- Societal needs and problems should be the starting point of science, technology, and
innovation.
- Moral values should be placed at the heart of science technology and innovation.
- Ethics is all about translating values into action, weighing (different stakeholders or
individual actors) values against each other, and morally justifying one’s judgements
and actions.
The direct and indirect, intended and unintended influences of scientists on the moral states
of others is large.
Ethics as design discipline where the same functionality can be realized in many different
forms and shapes. Different values contribute how we design it. For ethical issues there is
rarely one unique correct solution, different solutions might make sense. However, you can
distinguish between better and worse solution relative to what you think are the essential
values. Justifying the choices by referring to the values is key.
Ethics is the practical study of deciding how we ought to act. The branch of philosophy that
deals with morality and values, a systemic reflection on morality (values, norms, beliefs) and
providing reasons to justify our decisions. Without reflection we might easily make the
wrong turn.
Moral problems arise when the values rights, interests, desires of another are at stake or
harmed. So not just your own wellbeing.
- How do we recognize values rights interests and desires? Can be hard by not being
open minded enough.
- How do we define the other? Who is a proper subject of moral concern?
Ethical reasoning is needed whenever we are confronted with a moral problem.
Values are something that you consider to be important and good, things that you think that
really matter. The official meaning: values are (a) concepts of beliefs, (b) about desirable end
states or behaviors, (c) that transcend specific situations, (d) guide selection or evaluation of
behavior and events, and (e) are ordered by relative importance. Values can be translated
into norms, sort of rules. The intermediate step is conceptualization and analysis. Explain
why you think that value is relevant in that certain context.
Further distinction that can be helpful when thinking though moral spheres. Our life plays
out in all different kinds of contexts and hence norms guide our actions in different
situations.
- Ethics in the personal sphere: rules for your relations in your personal sphere with
family and friends.
- Business sphere: rules for business identity
- Professional sphere: rules of e.g. scientific community
- Public sphere: rules for a just society
,Nota bene: many problematic issues in the professional sphere you’ll be working in involve
crossing the boundaries between two or more spheres. In several spheres there are several
types of morally pertinent ‘others’.
Morally problematic does not mean that we have something to reject, it is only something to
discuss and reflect on. Morally problematic issues are everywhere where the values, rights,
interests, desires of another are at stake or harmed. Taking a moral stance means carefully
considering and subsequently deciding whether or not a morally problematic issue is morally
objectionable.
Ethics concerns some of the hardest and most complex choices we have to make. Ethical
thinking is thinking beyond ones inclinations and prejudices. Ethics has many open endings;
many points where different people might take different routes which makes it very hard.
Also, because you are engaged in a moral reflection with someone else, critically reflect and
apply systematic reasoning.
Three families of ethical reasoning:
, Deontology & Utilitarianism
Reason provides access to the universal truth about the world. Truth is an end, not a mean
to some other ends. Plato: you arrive at truth by reasoning which will give you access to
ideas that are somewhere out there. Aristotle: we access truth by the world around us.
Also plays out in ethics, give precedence to things that are true always and ever, or
precedence to things that change all the time and are perceived different by different
people.
The three families of ethical reasoning:
Utilitarianism: greatest benefit for the greatest number. Many extensions to moral subjects
beyond the human realm, lot of animal welfare activists are utilitarianists.
Deontology: law of what has to be. The moral quality of actions is not to be found in their
consequences, but in the action itself because it will manifest that certain principles are
embodied in that action, reasonable and universalizable principles. Categorical imperative
applies always under all circumstances. Anthropocentric, puts humanity at the heart of its
theory in relation to man’s reason we have to understand compulsion to behave in morally
correct fashion. Quite individualistic
Virtue ethics: character. We all have conception what good life looks like and what good
society is, living up to what good life is and contribute to good society. Any judgement on
virtue and character has to be made intelligible by referring to context.
