The Ethics in science and technology Is present as in other areas that develop from modern life.
It is basically a normative (non-formal) science that is responsible for the norms of human behavior in society.
In addition, it is considered as a branch of philosophy that is related to the nature of moral judgment, as it analyzes what is right or wrong.
On the other hand, ethics has a close relationship with morality. And although they have the same essence, they are different. Ethics, on the other hand, is the set of norms that come from the interior, while the moral Are those norms that come from abroad, or rather from society.
Science and technology are not exempt from ethics. Although it is true that both fields have made great contributions for the benefit of society, the truth is that many times they end up being unethical.
And it is not that science and technology are harmful per se, because in fact it is not. The world is aware that advances in science and technology have vastly improved people's lives.
So, can science and technology be immoral and unethical? Not at the beginning. At least according to Einstein, Poincaré and Russell, who have argued that science does not make value judgments from a moral or ethical point of view, since it is limited to reporting facts. The same conception could be applied to technology.
Thus, in general, the formal and natural sciences do not deal with values. Which means that both science and technology are ethically neutral.
It is for this reason that both disciplines can be used both to do good and to do evil. Or what is the same, to cure or to kill, to recover or to destroy, to give freedom or to enslave, etc.
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Ethical dilemmas in science and technology
With the advance of science and technology in recent years, it is normal for ethical dilemmas to arise every day.
Despite the benefits that these fields have generated in human life, they can not by themselves indicate what human beings must do. Which means that in some way disciplines are at the mercy of what man wants to do with them.
It is also important to note that although the scientific method tries to free itself from prejudices, the use of science and technology has implications both in the environmental and social aspects.
The abuse in the use of these two fields has generated much destruction in its passage. The problem is in the fact that the scientific-technological field tends to face the problems that it generates as if they were unavoidable effects when they are not.
But when we take into account the catastrophic effects that have generated science and technology on the planet with the application of certain advances, it is evident that there has been an ethical component in this.
That is why it is stated that science and technology do not represent a problem per se. In other words, the disaster they can bring about has to do more with those who implement them.
For example, if it is well known that the radioactive waste generated by nuclear plants affects the health of individuals, why are not solutions implemented before using such harmful technologies?
Many times these health or ecological problems are combated with other technologies that are just as harmful to life. Or even make it look as if these consequences were inevitable when it really is not.
Moral agents
Natural disasters are the only problems that are really unavoidable. When it comes to this type of problem there are no moral agents that are responsible for the negative event.
However, in the case of the negative effects caused by the use of science and technology there are moral agents responsible for damages. The problem is that no one assumes the ethical responsibility for damages caused by the premature implementation of certain technologies.
Science and technology are given a double role that is often contradictory.
On the one hand they have been presented as indispensable fields for human survival, which will help people to have a better control of their time, their intellectual capacities and in general of their life.
But on the other hand, in observing science and technology in practice, it is possible to note that both human survival and the life of the planet are being threatened by scientific and technological advances.
The biggest drawback to ethics in science and technology lies in understanding the negative causes of both disciplines. The harmful effects of science and technology are attributed to themselves and not to their promoters, which is how it should be.
Doing this in this way exempts people from having ethics regarding the application of certain technologies on the planet. What it means in turn is that people, instead of appearing responsible for the disaster, present themselves as victims.
The truth is that the harmful effects that can generate science and technology can be prevented or avoided as long as there is a sense of ethics in those who apply them.
This is why it is important to develop a concept of ethics and morality among scientists of this era.
References
- Lara, N. (1999). Technology and ethics. Technology: concepts, problems and perspectives. Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Sciences and Humanities. National Autonomous University of Mexico. Recovered from computo.ceiich.unam.mx.
- Schulz, P. (2005). Ethics in science. Revista Iberoamericana de Polímeros.Volumen 6. Department of Chemistry. National University of the South, Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Recovered from ehu.eus.