JCOGGSHALL@HAMPVMS.BITNET (Jeff Cogshall) (04/20/88)
Bill Duffy wrote: > Unfortunately, you are assuming that scientists will agree on the > ethical consequences of the various alternatives. This is false. As regards this Herman Rubin quote, of course scientists are going to disagree about the ethical nature of their work. No two people hold the same exact ethical standards. However, this is no reason not to think about the ethical implications of scientific work and do the best one can in deciding whether to pursue devlopment of a new technology. This throwing up of the hands and saying its usesless to debate ethics of technological development that Rubin implies is ridiculous and dangerous. Such would permit the justification of any technology on the grounds that within some ethical framework it is ethically correct. Perhaps, though this is just a vague thought, one needs to take into account the cultural ethical framework in which one works. This is not a perfect guide, but considering devlopment of a technology should fit into a societal framework, it may not be a bad one. For the devloement of a technology can not only no be divorced from ethical considerations, but societal ones. Also, most cultures at least give lip srervice to the sanctity of human life and a certain degree of respect for the earth, be it merely utilitarian. It at least may make a good beginning for a technolical assessment. Jeff