Elements of Ethics for Physical Scientists

by Greer

ISBN: 9780262364638 | Copyright 2017

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This book offers the first comprehensive guide to ethics for physical scientists and engineers who conduct research. Written by a distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering, the book focuses on the everyday decisions about right and wrong faced by scientists as they do research, interact with other people, and work within society. The goal is to nurture readers' ethical intelligence so that they know an ethical issue when they see one, and to give them a way to think about ethical problems.

After introductions to the philosophy of ethics and the philosophy of science, the book discusses research integrity, with a unique emphasis on how scientists make mistakes and how they can avoid them. It goes on to cover personal interactions among scientists, including authorship, collaborators, predecessors, reviewers, grantees, mentors, and whistle-blowers. It considers underrepresented groups in science as an ethical issue that matters not only to those groups but also to the development of science, and it examines human participants and animal subjects. Finally, the book examines scientifically relevant social issues, including public policy, weapons research, conflicts of interest, and intellectual property.

Each chapter ends with discussion questions and case studies to encourage debate and further exploration of topics. The book can be used in classes and seminars in research ethics and will be an essential reference for scientists in academia, government, and industry.

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Contents (pg. vii)
Preface (pg. ix)
Notes (pg. xi)
Acknowledgments (pg. xiii)
1 What Is Ethics? (pg. 1)
Essentials of the Philosophy of Ethics (pg. 1)
An Ethical Value System for Scientists (pg. 4)
A Process for Ethical Decision Making (pg. 6)
Summary: What Is Ethics? (pg. 8)
Guided Case Study on Ethics in Science: Cheating on an Exam (pg. 8)
Discussion Questions on Ethics in Science (pg. 9)
Case Studies on Ethics in Science (pg. 10)
Inquiry Questions on Ethics in Science (pg. 11)
Further Reading on Ethics in Science (pg. 12)
Notes (pg. 13)
2 What Is Science? (pg. 15)
The Nature of Science (pg. 15)
The Community and the Careers of Scientists (pg. 22)
Correction in Science (pg. 25)
Summary: What Is Science? (pg. 31)
Guided Case Study on the Nature of Science: Failure to Replicate (pg. 31)
Discussion Questions on the Nature of Science (pg. 32)
Case Studies on the Nature of Science (pg. 33)
Inquiry Questions on the Nature of Science (pg. 34)
Further Reading on the Nature of Science (pg. 35)
Notes (pg. 37)
3 The Scientist and Truth: Dealing with Nature (pg. 41)
What Is the Question or the Hypothesis? (pg. 42)
What Are the Observations? (pg. 43)
What Are the Models? (pg. 52)
Research Conduct and Misconduct (pg. 53)
Summary: The Scientist and Truth (pg. 58)
Guided Case Study on the Scientist and Truth: Self-Plagiarism (pg. 58)
Discussion Questions on the Scientist and Truth (pg. 59)
Case Studies on the Scientist and Truth (pg. 60)
Inquiry Questions on the Scientist and Truth (pg. 61)
Further Reading on the Scientist and Truth (pg. 62)
Notes (pg. 63)
4 The Scientist and Justice: Dealing with Other Scientists (pg. 69)
Authors (pg. 69)
Collaborators (pg. 72)
Predecessors (pg. 74)
Reviewers and Referees (pg. 76)
Grantees (pg. 77)
Journal Editors and Grant Officers (pg. 78)
Whistleblowers (pg. 78)
Role Models, Advisors, Supervisors, and Mentors (pg. 80)
Summary: The Scientist and Justice (pg. 84)
Guided Case Study on the Scientist and Justice: Whistleblowing (pg. 85)
Discussion Questions on the Scientist and Justice (pg. 85)
Case Studies on the Scientist and Justice (pg. 86)
Inquiry Questions on the Scientist and Justice (pg. 89)
Further Reading on the Scientist and Justice (pg. 92)
Notes (pg. 92)
5 The Scientist and Lives (pg. 97)
Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 97)
A Brief History of Women and Minorities in Science (pg. 98)
Current Status and Trends in the United States (pg. 104)
Why Has This Happened? (pg. 106)
The Future for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering (pg. 111)
Summary: Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 113)
Guided Case Study on Underrepresented Groups in Science: Sexual Harassment (pg. 114)
Discussion Questions on Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 115)
Case Studies on Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 115)
Inquiry Questions on Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 116)
Further Reading on Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 118)
Films on Underrepresented Groups in Science (pg. 120)
Research with Human Participants (pg. 121)
Recent History of Concern about Research with Human Participants (pg. 121)
What Is Research? What Is a Human Subject? (pg. 123)
Guidelines for Research with Human Participants in the United States (pg. 124)
Bioethics (pg. 129)
Summary: Research with Human Participants (pg. 129)
Guided Case Study on Research with Human Participants: Subjects Who Cannot Give Informed Consent (pg. 129)
Discussion Questions on Research with Human Participants (pg. 130)
Case Studies on Research with Human Participants (pg. 131)
Inquiry Questions on Research with Human Participants (pg. 132)
Further Reading on Research with Human Participants (pg. 133)
Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 133)
Background of Animal Welfare Issues (pg. 134)
Contemporary Thinking on Animal Research Subjects (pg. 136)
Guidelines and Laws about Animal Research Subjects in the United States (pg. 137)
Summary: Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 139)
Guided Case Study on Research with Animal Subjects: Choice of Animal Cells (pg. 139)
Discussion Questions on Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 140)
Case Studies on Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 140)
Inquiry Questions on Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 141)
Further Reading on Research with Animal Subjects (pg. 142)
Notes (pg. 142)
6 The Scientist and Society (pg. 151)
Science and Public Policy (pg. 151)
A Brief History of the Public Funding of Science in the United States (pg. 153)
Basic Science and Applied Science (pg. 157)
Big Science and Little Science (pg. 159)
Controversial Science (pg. 160)
Science and the Citizen: Scientific Literacy (pg. 161)
Summary: Science and Public Policy (pg. 163)
Guided Case Study on Science and Public Policy: Scientific Literacy (pg. 163)
Discussion Questions on Science and Public Policy (pg. 164)
Case Studies on Science and Public Policy (pg. 164)
Inquiry Questions on Science and Public Policy (pg. 165)
Further Reading on Science and Public Policy (pg. 166)
Science and Weapons (pg. 167)
Weapons Research in the Twentieth Century (pg. 167)
Current Issues in the Ethics of Weapons Research (pg. 172)
Summary: Science and Weapons (pg. 175)
Guided Case Study on Science and Weapons: Chemical Weapons (pg. 175)
Discussion Questions on Science and Weapons (pg. 176)
Case Studies on Science and Weapons (pg. 177)
Inquiry Questions on Science and Weapons (pg. 178)
Further Reading on Science and Weapons (pg. 179)
Conflicts of Interest (pg. 179)
Conflicts of Interest for Scientists (pg. 180)
Conflicts of Interest for Institutions (pg. 181)
Guidelines for Managing Conflicts of Interest (pg. 182)
Summary: Conflicts of Interest (pg. 183)
Guided Case Study on Conflicts of Interest: Textbook Author (pg. 183)
Discussion Questions on Conflicts of Interest (pg. 184)
Case Studies on Conflicts of Interest (pg. 184)
Inquiry Questions on Conflicts of Interest (pg. 186)
Further Reading on Conflicts of Interest (pg. 186)
Intellectual Property (pg. 186)
Trade Secrets (pg. 187)
Trademarks (pg. 188)
Copyrights (pg. 188)
Patents (pg. 193)
Ownership of Records and Data (pg. 195)
Freedom of Information Act (pg. 196)
Summary: Intellectual Property (pg. 197)
Guided Case Study on Intellectual Property: Confidential Information (pg. 197)
Discussion Questions on Intellectual Property (pg. 198)
Case Studies on Intellectual Property (pg. 199)
Inquiry Questions on Intellectual Property (pg. 199)
Further Reading on Intellectual Property (pg. 201)
Notes (pg. 201)
Conclusion: Final Advice on Doing Good Science (pg. 207)
Notes (pg. 208)
Appendix A: Guidelines for Laboratory Notebooks (pg. 209)
Notes (pg. 210)
Appendix B: Bibliography (pg. 211)
Books on Ethics in Science (pg. 211)
Biographies of Scientists (pg. 212)
Fiction about Ethical Issues in Science (pg. 217)
Journals Devoted to Ethical Issues in Science (pg. 218)
Organizations and Websites Related to Ethical Issues in Science (pg. 218)
Notes (pg. 219)
Appendix C: Teaching Ethics (pg. 221)
Modes of Course Delivery (pg. 221)
Teaching Strategies (pg. 222)
Further Reading (pg. 223)
Notes (pg. 224)
Appendix D: Bioethics (pg. 225)
General References on Bioethics (pg. 225)
Genetic Technology (pg. 225)
Assisted Reproductive Technology (pg. 225)
Stem Cell Technology (pg. 226)
Index (pg. 227)

Sandra C. Greer

Sandra C. Greer is Professor Emerita of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland College Park and also Professor Emerita of Chemistry at Mills College.


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