Ethical Issues Facing Science and Technology - Biotechnology Culture and Human Values - Lecture Slides, Slides of Biotechnology

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Ethical Issues Facing Science and

Technology

New Paradigms of Science and

Technology

• From knowledge for knowledge sake with

applications assumed to application-

oriented science and technology.

• From “Science, the Endless Frontier” to

“Society, the Endless Frontier”

• Science and technology

are moving faster than

understanding of

implications to society.

Issues on accessability

• Both more and less
  • “The Digital Divide”: Division between those with resources for access to digital technology, which produces greater resources.
  • BUT “The World is Flat”…
    • Political liberation
    • Information technology penetration/open-sourcing
    • Outsourcing/supply-chaining
    • Networking
    • The playing field is levelled.

Safety of New Products:

Biosafety and Nanosafety

• Concerns about safety
  • For the consumers
  • For the environment
• Biosafety
  • GMOs
  • Cloning and stem cells application
• Nanosafety
  • Health concerns for nanoparticles
• New products must take safety issues into account

Has science and technology created a GODZILLA?

or many of THEM?

Fukuyama’s Concerns

• F. Fukuyama: How far do we let biotech go?
• Current regulatory bodies are inadequate to deal with future choices, eg. - Manipulating genes which modify behaviour. - Using drugs which alter moral character. - Extending life, impacting on economies, international relations, and new ideas generation. - Creating “designer babies”.

Issues for Ethical, Social and Legal

Considerations in Energy Technology

• Pollution from oil, gas and coal
• Production of greenhouse gas from burning: global warming
• Technologies for reducing greenhouse gas: risks and benefits
• Threats to biodiversity and environment from renewable technologies (wind turbines, solar panels, waves)
• Nuclear material storage and waste

Ethical, Social and Legal Implications:

Risk management

• Types of risks
  • Technical risks (environment, consumers).
  • Public perception (political) risks.
  • Market risk.
• Management of risks
  • Risk and benefit analysis.
  • Reasonable Precautionary Principle.
  • Risk prevention and mitigation.

Ethical, Social and Legal Implications:

Intellectual Property Management

• Ownership of, and sovereignty over, genetic resources: natural and developed further by human efforts. - Indigenous people (Farmers’ rights). - Countries (Biodiversity Convention). - “Common property of mankind” (free use of natural resources, but restricted by patents for modifications).

Future Directions: Towards Good

Governance in Science and Technology

• More concerns and discussions on ethics of science

and technology by laypeople and scientists alike.

• Voluntary Codes (Guidelines) of Conduct on issues

involving risks or ethics by scientists, industries, professional societies, etc. (cf. 1973 voluntary moratorium on genetic engineering).

• New laws may be enacted, but a good sense of balance is needed.

Future Directions: Towards Good Governance in

Science and Technology (cont)

• Role of government:
  • Oversees development and capability strengthening in both technical and social, ethical issues in science and technology.
  • Set up regulations and laws as necesssary, making sure of having a healthy balance.
• Role of civil societies (NGOs)/scientists
  • Help to make the public understand issues in various aspects, not just lobby on single issues.

… economics can be substantially

enriched by paying more attention to

ethics , and …the study of ethics can

also benefit from a closer contact with

economics.

Amartaya Sen

Science and technology can be

substantially enriched by paying more

attention to ethics , and the study of

ethics can also benefit from a closer

contact with science and technology.

Thank you