Ethics
I have posted about the scientific method on this blog and intended to write on scientific principles here now. That is I intended to write on the doing of science. I might have included material like: principles of validation and reliability, data management principles, principles in scientific research and the like.
However, in starting this post the words "ethics" and "ethical" arose. I began to consider how much shared ethical principle we need in common in order to co-operate effectively. I am sure that we do need enough enough ethical similarity to to maintain our effectiveness. I believe that the more quality and quantity of ethic we share the better our chances for abundant effectiveness. We may need to communicate a great deal to discover the nature of our shared ethics.
We need to do a good job of passing useful ethics on to our youth.
I was assailed by thoughts of how science and ethics are intertwined. I feel that there is much to be taken into account. For example, the effectiveness of our research practices depends on the quality of our ethics.
C0-operation in our scientific endeavors effects the results of those endeavors. In working with another, or others, difficulties may arise because we are uncertain of the nature of on another's ethics. Even though scientific principles have become useful and prevalent in many areas of our culture, I have begun to suspect that too many of our ethics do not prevail in our scientific endeavors. Adults working in science too often seem not to have their ethics high in their consciousness. Youths in the life such adults learn from them. Those learners could develop high scientific abilities and lowered levels of ethical consciousness.
I have been slow to add to this post. I want to accentuate the positive and believe that ethics and science both have great deal of positivity. I believe that much of our use of ethics and science is positive, but upon contemplation I see legions of negatives. I try to be sympathetic and generous, but continue seeing that too often we don't measure up very well.
I have become more aware of how the value of science to us depends upon our ethics. Science and ethics are intertwined, and so they ought. All of our doings effect our health and general well being. We are wise to take our ethics into account. For example, the effectiveness of research practices in science depends upon ethics in the scientific field and the ethical practices in our total culture. Our principles of integrity of: knowledge, collegiality, honesty, objectivity, subjectivity, openness, etcetera make for dependable and effective co-operation and for our general well-being. There has been a valuable ethical platform working with the features of the scientific method such as: Formulating a hypothesis, collecting and interpreting data, the communication of scientific knowledge, and the training of young scientists which has done much for the effectiveness of our science. Scientists are responsible for the effects science upon us and so are we all.
Much of our well-being has depended upon our code of ethics. Perhaps that code needs to be more written about and so be more supportive of our well-being. Perhaps it needs to be taught as an expected part of our doing of science and so to be more supportive of our well-being. We seem to have expected ethics to arise a grow among us without our support. Our expectations have not been supported. It seems, that if we want ethics to be a part of our common culture, that we must provide opportunities for it to be observed, to more carefully teach it to our children and youth, and to practice being mindful of our ethics ourselves.
However our ethics are little in many homes, ethics has seldom bee a required course in college or university, and I suspect that our well-being has suffered. Children may lack enough opportunity to observe the workings of ethics in their home. Children and youth often lack opportunity to observe the workings of ethics at their parents place of business. When do not learn of ethics, when we do not learn to observe ethics, when we are not tutored in ethics, when have been taught little ethics informally and formally our individual well-being is stunted as is that of our society. When this lack of observation, instruction, and practice continues for just a couple of generations a society and culture degenerate.
Understanding of, practice of, and alertness to our ethics can do much to keep our science safe and potent as well maintaining a well functioning culture and society and our general and individual well-being.
One way to begin anew is to relearn the vocabulary of ethics. With that vocabulary we can better speak of ethics. We have perhaps begun to learn a bit right here. We already know some useful opposites. When we do not use them as places or location but rather more as pointing a direction or as orienting us. Examples of such pairs can include: better and worse, useful and useless, better yet might be more helpful and less helpful, or more and less honest, all of which can be used to point us toward the better direction or help us to avoid the worst. One could say that an important use of ethics is to help us to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative appropriately.
Page two may be on its way soon.
Thank you for reading!
Please continue on to page two.
Lost Ethics, Lost knowledge? Page Two
It seems that once more children and youth received wider exposure to ethics through observation of the adults they lived among. Youths now seem to live more among youths. Often adults once found. Adults seem once to have found opportunity to purposefully present youth examples of the use of ethics. Now often both mothers and fathers are working full time. Among some of us there was discussion of ethics. I cannot remember the last time I had such a discussion. Youth and children were more exposed to an informal education in ethics. Now it seems that many are left with much less of that informal education. Seems a bit unethical.
Now, it seems to me, that once a greater percentage of us received a wider appropriate exposure to ethics through example and opportunity to observe. There seems to be less discussion and other informal learning available to us. The once popular Bachelor of Arts degree at colleges and universities where classes related to ethics are no longer common. How are youth to learn? How are even our professionals to learn? Mandatory classes in ethics seem less present as part of advanced degrees. How are doctors and scientists to gain a good foundation in ethics? Some do so late in their careers.
For a time a sort of scientific attitude along with some ethics was passed on from mature to young from experienced scientist to disciples. It seem centered on integrity and a perfecting of honesty. I seem to remember it being implied that the pleasurer and profit of scientific investigation was enhanced by the wide honest sharing of findings and learnings. Science was known as an important and useful way of communicating certain understandings and I believe that it is that today. It seems our best way to share many new and more demanding understandings.
Some of my understandings may seem to some to be so far from the actualities of today as to be of little use to discuss now; and they may have good reasons for their perceptions. Even so, experience and thoughtful persons have thought them useful and and upon consideration you may see that they could continue to serve us well.
it is good when we are willing to teach one another; it's better when we actually do. Is good that a doctor of medicine is willing to teach a patient who is willing to learn. I believe that it is important that when we see something which is wrong which may impact others, that we communicate that which we see. When we make such a communication, we may well be expected to be asked, "What makes you think so." So, it is useful to consider what makes us think so. we may also consider that we are the best authority on "that which leads us to think so.
When a scientist proposes a theory I believe he ought to tell concerned parties of the values and nature of his theory, but also of facts he has encountered which may run counter to his theory or precepts and may not be in agreement with it. The ideas is to provide others with data they may use to better judge the information received. Its a sort of intellectual honesty, a respect for humanity, and of utility for fellow scientists.
It seems correct that the work of a scientist be shared with other scientists to aid those others in their work, their understanding of his science and of his particular findings. It seems correct to share their results with society in general for the well-being of all. As another example, it seems correct that a doctor share with his patient that which he has learned of his patient's condition. I believe that doctor should aid an interested patient to interpret the information the doctor has provided.
Our culture is vulnerable, humanity is vulnerable to the lose of vital knowledge. Our very survival may depend on the quality of our ability to share our knowledge among ourselves. Those who know have the responsibility to pass on to others that which they know. You may believe that it is good to encourage those who know to pass on that knowledge to others. You are not alone. Each of us knows of that which is worth passing on.
It seems right that we each willingly share the information and knowledge we have, which could be helpful to others, with others. Doing so preserves the quality of our lives and may preserve our very lives.
A basic value of science is its practitioner's ability to accurately and honestly pass on information to us for distribution among us. That is the science I willingly support.
It seems to me that the work of a scientist can be very satisfying to her, but that it can also be very demanding. The doing of science calls for ongoing study, practice, care, and integrity. Designing a truly useful experience is not easy and neither is the doing of it.
We are getting into the nature of science, the scientific method, and the ethics of science; the relationship between ethics and science.
Thank you for reading.
You can now go on to page three.
Scientific Methods Can Be Used Anywhere By Anyone
But, but when is the last time you observed science being done? Most of us can pass months without observing scientific methods in action. A great deal of science can be done in the mind and goes unseen. A great deal of science is done in the field. Geology is a example of that. Even when watching that geologist in the field we cannot be certain that he is actual doing science at that time. Much science is done by employees within institutions large and small. Many of those institutions are corporations, others are universities, and some are governmental. We haven't asked for much oversite of them. It is difficult even for professionals to observe the quality of their methodology. We can more effectively observe their results and understand their explanations. We can demand and exposition of their results and their best estimates of probable and likely effects on society and sometimes have done so.
Doings of Scientists are Affecting Us Now
We need to see that knowledge and understanding of science and the doings of scientists is available to us, our youth, and our children; that is up to us.
Its up to us to receive that information. It is or responsibility to see that our schools and teachers are ready, willing, and able to share their knowledge with our youth, our children, and us. School boards, state and local governments can be encouraged to help us. Independent citizen groups and organizations may help us more.
Ethics of the people in organizations, groups, governments, schools, businesses, and scientists is a positive contribution to the well-being of us all. Our ethics can help all of us to better share in our society and its doings.
We can benefit from a better understanding of ethics. Ethics is a branch of philosophy which can help us to choose more useful and helpful actions. It helps us to be more rational. It directs to the more positively productive act. Much of ethics has been dedicated, or directed, to the benefits of society, but that which benefits our neighborhood often benefits you and me as well as others.
Feel free to offer corrections to my mistakes. You can use the "comments" app below.
Thank you for reading.
rcs