National & Kapodistrian University of AthensDepartment of History & Philosophy of Science

Project: HERAKLITUS- Research fellowships giving priority on NKUoA’s basic research

Creating a normative framework of the Creating a normative framework of the scientific activityscientific activity

Korina Paschaliori, PhD candidate at NKUoA

MAIN POINTSMAIN POINTS1. The reasons for the introduction of ethics into science2. The meaning of ethics of science3. Defining the term “normative framework”4. Criteria that contribute to the determination of these

principles – The nature of the principles5. Presentation of the principles: honesty and carefulness cooperation and communication credit public character of science respect among scientists and towards experimental

subjects6. Considerations concerning the necessity and importance of

rating these principles7. Conclusion

Society does not want a knowledge at any price. It wants scientific activities to provide certain and useful knowledge but without provoking its social ethic or its values.

Definition: Ethics of science is a new form of normative ethics that attempts to establish/ introduce into the scientific area certain principles, cognitive as well as ethical, with which scientists are enabled to confront ethical dilemmas and moral problems that may emerge before, during or after the scientific activity, in order to harmonize sciences and social ethics without hindering the production of certain and objective knowledge.

Ethics of scienceEthics of science

Ethics of scienceEthics of science

Goals:1. Set/establish certain principles/rules into the

scientific area2. help scientists deal with ethical

dilemmas/problems3. at the same time promote the goals of

sciences e.g. the production of knowledge, without restraining researches

Normative FrameworkNormative Framework

In order a normative framework to operate we

need:

principles that function in a two fold way, e.g.:

promote the cognitive goals of sciences, scientific community and scientists

promote ethical goals of sciences, scientific community and scientists and

are accepted by the scientists

B. The principles, in order to be accepted, should:be useful/functional (help scientific activity and scientists deal with problems)be as few as possible be known to the scientific community

A. The principles, in order to function in a twofold way, should:

have a cognitive basis

have a moral basis

Principles of the normative frameworkPrinciples of the normative framework

honesty and carefulness

cooperation and communication

public character of science

credit

respect between scientists and towards experimental subjects

Why these principles?Why these principles?

Because:

they are few

they are known to the scientific community

they are accepted in the scientific area

they are general and can be used as shelters that cover all kinds of activities

they help the promotion of knowledge

they help scientists deal with their moral problems

These principles should not be in an hierarchical order. They should be taken as a whole so as to function effectively.

In order for these principles to work we need not only to establish a coherent normative framework but also a good moral education of everybody. It’s the only way for an ethics of science to function, to be instituted and consolidated

ConclusionConclusion