Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Theentireprocess-fromdiscussingbioethicalissuesofpractical
workdowntomoralaction-shalllieinthehandsofscientists
andmedics.Theyaretheprofessionalsintheirrealms,theyare
responsiblefortheirwork,anditkeepsunclearwhytheyshould
missthemoralcompetences,philosophersclaimtohave.
Theseconddoomedideatodiscussdealswiththeself-imageof
science.Thetraditionalself-understandingofsciencecontains
interaliaofaboldideaconcerningthegeneralworksetting.
Stillsciencebelievesinreceivingexclusively“directaccess”to
knowledgeonthe(material)propertiesoftheworldasfacts,and
thereforetokeepnaturallyapositionbeyondgoodandevil.The
prevailingideaofscienceonscienceistobetheunbiasedob-
serverofthepuretruthofthenaturalworld.
Scienceusuallytendstoignorewhathasbecomeobviousinour
time:EspeciallyLifeSciencesdoactuallynotobserveandjust
acquiremorallyneutralknowledge.LifeScienceshavegained
thepowerofchangingthe“biologicalworld”-andhavealready
startedwithengineeringworkiObserving,cataloguingandcol-
lectingsamplesandfacts-thatisnoup-to-datedescriptionof
science-especiallynotofLifeSciences.
ThecurrenthypeonLifeSciencesiscarriedbynumerousinven-
tiveapplicationsinbiomedicineandnotbytheimmensegrowth
ofknowledge;knowledgewithoutapplicationisdefinitelynot
therulingprincipleofcontemporaryscience.Anyhow,thestrug-
glesbetweentwofactionsinsciencemaycontinue.Oneisan-
nouncingthePasteur-likeattitudethatthereisnothinglikeap-
plicablescience,theotherthatapplicationisanaturalappen-
dixofscience,definingitspurpose.Thedefiantpositionofthe
scientific“traditionalists”isofcourseconnectedtothefactthat
“applicablescience”getseasierbiggergrantsinourtime,but
canonlytakeplaceafterbasicsciencehasdoneitswork.Fortra-
ditionalists,theprimateofbasicsciencedefinesitstheoretical
numberonerankinsciencethatpracticallyhasbeenlostalready
byagrantpolicyaimingatproductsandinnovationsasthefinal
pointofscience.Nowadaysitisthecasethatbasicsciencecan-
notjustifyitsworthwithoutbeingconnectedtoapplicablesci-
ence.Additionally,basicsciencecannotkeepupwiththeideato
beakindofcollectorofpurefactsandknowledge.
-12-
