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Thinking about Values in Science: Ethical versus Political Approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2020

S. Andrew Schroeder Open the ORCID record for S. Andrew Schroeder [Opens in a new window]
S. Andrew Schroeder*
Affiliation:
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, USA
*
Email: aschroeder@cmc.edu
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Abstract

Philosophers of science now broadly agree that doing good science involves making non-epistemic value judgments. I call attention to two very different normative standards which can be used to evaluate such judgments: standards grounded in ethics and standards grounded in political philosophy. Though this distinction has not previously been highlighted, I show that the values in science literature contain arguments of each type. I conclude by explaining why this distinction is important. Seeking to determine whether some value-laden determination meets substantive ethical standards is a very different endeavor from seeking to determine if it is politically legitimate.

Keywords

Values in scienceethicspolitical philosophypolitical philosophy of scienceinductive riskcitizen science
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 52 , Issue 3: Engaging with Science, Values, and Society , April 2022 , pp. 246 - 255
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Canadian Journal of Philosophy

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