National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Department of History & Philosophy of Science Project: HERAKLITUS- Research fellowships giving priority on NKUoA’s basic research Creating a normative framework of the scientific activity Korina Paschaliori, PhD candidate at NKUoA

MAIN POINTS 1. The reasons for the introduction of ethics into science 2. The meaning of ethics of science 3. Defining the term “normative framework” 4. Criteria that contribute to the determination of these principles – The nature of the principles 5. Presentation of the principles: honesty and carefulness cooperation and communication credit public character of science respect among scientists and towards experimental subjects 6. Considerations concerning the necessity and importance of rating these principles 7. 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 science

Goals: 1. Set/establish certain principles/rules into the scientific area 2. help scientists deal with ethical dilemmas/problems 3. at the same time promote the goals of sciences e.g. the production of knowledge, without restraining researches

Normative 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 framework honesty and carefulness cooperation and communication public character of science credit respect between scientists and towards experimental subjects

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 Conclusion