Ethical Responsibilities for Scientists and Their Discoveries Essay Example

amounts research misconduct of data falsification which might not give the correct result for the study. For Tom to avoid such a situation he should follow the ethical codes provided by the National Institute of health (NIH) (Lo 2010). Tom can also forge going with his friend to the trip and join them later after finishing the experiments.

During various scientific discoveries, scientists are faced with dilemmas on dealing with ethical situations. Any decision made in such ethical dilemmas should be justified to the person making such decisions or to their colleagues, administrators or anybody who can be affected by the decision (Boyd 2016). In making decisions relating to ethical conducts, the scientist must ask themselves questions such as the overall consequence of the ethical issues to science and the society in general. In situations where the issues will either negatively affect the discipline or the society, positive behavior is adopted. For example, there has been a debate on the issue of genetically modified seeds and crops (GMOs) produced by Monsanto.

In the case of Monsanto, different players from the science discipline have argued their case against the benefits and costs of developing the GMOs. Ethical issues of concern relate to adverse effects of the crops towards human health. Genetics engineering scientists supporting the scientific research relating to the GMOs argue that it yield increased food production eradicating hunger. Those who are against the Monsanto seeds and crops argue about the adverse health effects to the human body producing diseases such as cancer (Miller and Selgelid 2008). This is an ethical dilemma which the society needs to solve by weighing the facts associated with such scientific research

in a bid to find the best solution for the general good of all the society members (Boyd 2016).

When confronted with an ethical dilemma in the process of scientific discovery and all decisions have failed, other ways solving ethical issues include trusting inner feelings and intuition, seeking guidance through prayer and meditation and tossing a coin if the problems are proving to be controversial (Brannigan 2001). Endorsing such decisions does not represent irrationality in decision making regarding the ethical issues, but it reflects the aspects of human reasoning in dealing with such ethical issues.

The society has for a long time held different researchers responsible for their discoveries and in addressing ethical issues. There are several ways the accountability issue is addressed. The first way is the establishment of research oversight bodies tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that only facts are published or presented for public use (Lo 2010). One such body in the US is the Congress which oversees funding and other related issues in different scientific research conducted across the country. Through the Congress and other agencies, scientific research is regulated and misconducts reduced significantly (Boyd 2016).

Apart from the oversight bodies ethical codes established within different disciplines in the society have particular principles which any scientist must follow in their discoveries. Some of such principles include honesty, objectivity, integrity, openness, respect for intellectual property and human subject protection (Boyd 2016). The policy on human subject protection, for instance, requires scientists to minimize risks while maximizing benefits from their subjects. They should also observe human dignity, privacy, and autonomy (Brannigan 2001). All these principles have been formulated to reduce instances of misconducts when conducting

research which goes a long way in producing accurate data and discoveries used by different players within the society (Miller and Selgelid 2008). The third way of holding scientist responsible for their discoveries is through reducing misconducts in the different academic institutions (Boyd 2016). In the United States, most universities require their students either in undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate programs to have training on responsible conduct of research. Such training build integrity among young researchers which goes a long way in producing factual data and discoveries useful for the benefit of the society (Lo 2010). Apart from introducing training on responsible conduct of research in learning institutions, education in research ethics should be part of any scientific discipline. Established researchers should undergo this essential training which can help them in understanding different ethical dilemmas which they are likely to meet in the course of their discoveries (Miller and Selgelid 2008). Such training can equip the researchers with important concepts, tools, methods and principles useful in solving different ethical dilemmas. Such education can also act as forums where scientist can share their views on various controversial topics including research on human embryonic stem cell, cloning and genetic engineering (Brannigan 2001). Such forums can also provide an opportunity to discuss human and animal research requiring ethical considerations and deliberations.

Dialogue throughout the process of research is also another important way of holding the scientists responsible for their discoveries. It is important for consultations to occur between the academia and the non-academics for the concepts to be researched and the problems the study will address (Miller and Selgelid 2008). It is important for the researchers to take responsibility for

their choice of the research issues, in any case, they have negative impacts on the society. Methods of conducting such dialogues include citizen science and transdisciplinarity. However, practically scientists still are still leading the way in in research by controlling the facts and specifying research problems (Boyd 2016).

In conclusion, there are several ways which can help different scientist come to meaningful conclusions when confronted with controversial ethical issues. The decisions taken must be integral and promoting the scientific discoveries. Once they are through with their discoveries, the society must hold them accountable and responsible for cognitive benefits to be realized from them.

References

1. Boyd, Ann. 2016. Science And Ethics In Dialogue. San Rafael, California (1537 Fourth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 USA): Morgan & Claypool.
2. Brannigan, Michael C. 2001. Ethical Issues In Human Cloning. New York, NY: Seven Bridges Press.
3. Lo, Bernard. 2010. Ethical Issues In Clinical Research. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott William & Wilkins.
4. Miller, Seumas and Michael J Selgelid. 2008. Ethical And Philosophical Consideration Of The Dual-Use Dilemma In The Biological Sciences. New York: Springer.