Introduction to Ethics

Unit
1

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Introduction to
Ethics
Derived from the Greek word “Ethos” (meaning, way of living), Ethics is a
branch of philosophy that is concerned with human conduct, more specifically
the behaviour of individuals in society. Ethics examines the rational justification
for our moral judgments.
Ethics studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust. Ethics is based on
people’s personal value systems.
What one person considers to be good or right may be considered bad or wrong
by another person.
Ethics examines the rational justification for our moral judgments. It studies
what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust. In a broader sense, ethics reflects
on human beings and their interaction with nature and with other humans, on
freedom, on responsibility and on justice.
Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong in human behaviour and is a
belief about what is morally correct or acceptable. The term is also applied
to any system or theory of moral values or principles.
Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the
fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include
the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be
U
judged right orCourse
wrong. Code: Course Title: Scientific
 Introduction to
Ethics

The terms ethics and morality are closely related. It is now common to refer to
ethical judgments or to ethical principles, where it once would have been more
accurate to speak of moral judgments or moral principles. These applications
are an extension of the meaning of ethics. In this sense, ethics is equivalent to
moral philosophy.
In a broader sense, ethics reflects on human beings and their interaction with
nature and with other humans, on freedom, on responsibility and on justice.
In general, ethics is concerned with human independence when it focuses on
the relationship that exists between humans and the world. This independence
is the primary condition in ethical decision-making and in any objective
analysis of the facts.

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Applied
Ethics

Applied ethics are the practice of ethics, in particular the philosophy of

language that aims to guide the moral judgment governing the decisions we
make in all areas of our lives. Applied ethics presupposes language because it
depends on dialogue to attain this objective.
Applied ethics are an educational practice: It aims to accelerate the awareness
process and to accompany the exercise of judgment, because “moral judgment
cannot be learned; it must be cultivated”.
Applied ethics are a political practice: It seeks to establish optimum conditions
for exercising moral judgment. Applied ethics are a political practice because it
is “concerned with the common good”.
Applied ethics are a philosophical practice: It aims to develop systematic,
creative criticism based on meditation on human excellence.

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Introduction to
Ethics

What?
What are the common ethical
issues that seem to surface in
research?
When to consider ethical issues?

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Introduction to
Ethics

Autonomy and respect

Beneficence is a concept in research ethics, which states that
researchers should have the welfare of the research participant as
a goal of any clinical trial or any other research study.
Non-maleficence (Not a harmful or not an evil act)
Justice (free from exploitation)
Scientific validity
Honesty

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Ethics
is…

About commitment to positive values.

A communal activity, applying rational principles
and universal standards to social life.
About real power relations and responsible power
sharing.
About active participation in a moral community.
Problem solving activity.
An educational process.

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Ethics is
NOT…

About negative code of conduct, moral prohibitions, disciplinary

rules.
A private matter, nor about subjective feelings, personal
attitudes and choices.
Introspective self-examination or judging ones’ other’s moral
state.
Personal reliance on experts, lawyers, philosophers or religious
authorities.
Interminable disputes, or insoluble dilemma.
Occult processes.

U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific

 Introduction to
(Research) Ethics
The scientific enterprise is built on a foundation of trust.
Society trusts that scientific research results are an honest and accurate
reflection of a researcher’s work. Researchers do equally trust that their
colleagues have gathered data carefully, have used appropriate analytic and
statistical techniques, have reported their results accurately, and have treated
the work of other researchers with respect.
When this trust is misplaced and the professional standards of science are
violated, the researchers are NOT just personally affronted, but they feel that
the base of their profession has been undermined. This would impact the
relationship between science and society.

On being a Scientist: A Guide to responsible

conduct in Research
U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific
 Scientific
Ethics
Ethics is a set of moral obligations that define right and wrong in our practices
and decisions. Many professions have a formalized system of ethical practices
that help guide professionals in the field.
Scientific ethics calls for honesty and integrity in all stages of scientific
practice, from reporting results regardless to properly attributing collaborators.
This system of ethics guides the practice of science, from data collection to
publication and beyond.
As in other professions, the scientific ethics is deeply integrated into the way
scientists work, and they are aware that the reliability of their work and
scientific knowledge in general depends upon adhering to that ethic.
Many of the ethical principles in science relate to the production of unbiased
scientific knowledge, which is critical when others try to build upon or extend
research findings.
The open publication of data, peer review, replication, and collaboration
required by the scientific ethic all help to keep science moving forward by
validating research findings and confirming or raising questions about results
(see our module Scientific Literature for further information).
Some breaches of the ethical standards, such as fabrication of data, are dealt
with by the scientific community through means similar to ethical breaches in
U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific
 Code of
Ethics
Scientists have long maintained an informal system for code of ethics and
guidelines for conducting research, but documented ethical guidelines did not
develop until the mid-twentieth century, after a series of well-publicized ethical
breaches and war crimes. Scientific ethics now refers to a code of ethics for
scientists that is generally delineated into two broad categories. First,
standards of methods and process address the design, procedures, data
analysis, interpretation, and reporting of research efforts. Second, standards of
topics and findings address the use of human and animal subjects in research
and the ethical implications of certain research findings. Together, these ethical
standards abide by several core principles, which include:
Honesty in reporting of scientific data.
Careful transcription and analysis of scientific results to avoid error.
Independent analysis and interpretation of results that is based on data and
not on the influence of external sources.
Open sharing of methods, data, and interpretations through publication and
presentation.
Sufficient validation of results through replication and collaboration with
peers.
U Course Code: Course Title: Scientific