Quote:
Originally Posted by Cain
My apologies.
I would ask why you think that everyone needs to make a judgment call on the ethics of scientific study? You expressed discontent about the fact that only those in the cutting edge of research are those that are able to make ethical judgments, which implies that you think that it should be a broader field able to make those judgments...am I correct in this?
If so, I would agree with you. I do think that moral/ethical decisions should be made by as large a group as possible. It is easier to monitor things that have a large group of eyes focused on them, and easier to make sure that they do not stray down the wrong paths. This however, is also a pipe dream. We do not always have an educated audience as large as we would like, and honestly, probably could not support such a large one. There are many avenues of science to be explored in this world, and many require quite a bit of specialization which rules out the majority of people ever being involved.
I guess that I agree with you to a point (if I understand you correctly anyway). However, in my mind this ideal is unattainable, so yes, I do place my trust in the various experts found across various domains because the alternative is abhorrent in my mind (the average person directing our research aims and areas). I would trust a small community that is well versed in their area to be ethical and moral in their work over a huge community that for the most part is clueless about what is even taking place to make those judgments.
|
I think this is the response that I agree with somewhat, except when it comes to policies or decisions that will have a substantial impact upon the way in which most people choose to live their lives.
I also worry about scapegoating our burdens off on classes of people who are politically insignificant. I would even go so far as to say "like the unborn."