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HYLE International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~philosophie/hyle.html
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--CALL FOR PAPERS--
HYLE invites papers for a special issue on
ETHICS OF CHEMISTRY
(deadline: May 31, 2001)
The topic 'ethics of chemistry' is meant in a broad sense including the
two interrelated perspectives of professional ethics and general
philosophical ethics. Regarding the chemical community as a part of
larger society, then both the particular values of the chemical
community as such and their relations to general societal values are at
issue. The word 'values' should be taken in its broadest sense to
include both professional and societal ideals not ordinarily considered
in moral theory. Thus, in this special issue we wish to contribute to a
better understanding of the values of chemistry and their relation to
general values, i.e. the place of chemistry in the society.
We welcome studies in both descriptive and normative ethics.
Descriptive approaches should be based on generally accepted methods
(e.g., sociological, psychological, phenomenological, linguistical,
hermeneutical, historiographical methods, etc.); case studies are
particularly encouraged. Normative approaches should clearly point out
which normative principles of philosophical ethics are presupposed.
The focus of this special issue is on chemistry, including
subfields and related fields such as biochemistry, medicinal chemistry,
chemical engineering, etc. Many of the publicly debated moral issues of
science are strongly related to chemistry, though frequently located in
interdisciplinary fields and sometimes associated with other disciplines
such as biology or medicine. Papers on these interdisciplinary fields
should make clear, by methodological or historical reasoning, in what
sense the issues belong to chemistry and in what sense not. Moreover, a
distinction should be made between chemistry as a science or research
activity and the chemical industry as an economic institution. Papers
should be on the former, which does not exclude that it takes place in
or is influenced by the latter.
Contributions may deal with one or several topics of the
following (not exclusive) list. The list is divided up according to the
two mains strands of ethics of science, but papers may also combine the
two themes as appropriate.
Professional Ethics
- Do professional codes of conduct of chemical societies withstand a
philosophical analysis, particularly concerning consistency? In what
regard differ these codes from each other and from codes of other
professional and scientific societies?
- Are there moral ideals that underlay the specific ethical norms of
chemistry?
- What can we learn from chemical cases of 'pathological science'
(Polywater, Cold Fusion, etc.) about the borderline of scientific
misconduct?
- Are there specific types or problems of scientific misconduct unique
to chemistry or sub-fields of chemistry?
- Does chemical research (incl. evaluation, publication, and
documentation) require specific forms of trust among colleagues as
compared to other sciences?
- Does actual chemical research follow specific moral or non-moral
values?
- Are the actual methods of chemistry (incl. research, evaluation,
publication, and documentation) consistent with its values?
- Should chemical research follow specific moral or nonmoral values? If
yes, why? If not, why not?
- How do cognitive and methodological values relate to moral values in
chemical research?
- How does the commercialization of chemical knowledge affect or change
traditional cognitive values?
- Are there specific roots of professional ethics in the history of
chemistry/alchemy?
Chemistry and Society
- Do chemists as research scientists, in particular synthetic and
analytical chemists, have specific kinds of philosophically founded
responsibility and (active or passive) duties to the international
society because of their knowledge, skills, or practice? Is there a
philosophical way to justify or to confine 'freedom of research' in
chemistry?
- Is chemical research challenged in a peculiar way by conflicts of
interest, e.g. scientific vs. societal interest, national vs.
international, funding institutions vs. public interest, etc.?
- What lessons can we learn from case studies of chemical research with
negative effects on living beings, e.g. weapon research, drug design,
animal experiments, etc.?
- In which way does chemistry contribute to non-economic developments of
society (e.g. moral, political, intellectual, aesthetic, etc.)?
- Does chemistry affect the way humans or societies see and define
themselves?
- Does chemistry follow a specific kind of rationality that may raise
conflicts with common sense or political rationality?
- Are there inherent reasons, to be analyzed by philosophical or
socio-historical means, for the negative public image of chemistry as
science (before and after the increased awareness of environmental
issues)?
- Does chemistry in general, unlike other sciences, raise particular
hopes, fears, or other emotions, to be analyzed by psychological or
phenomenological means?
- How should ethics of chemistry be included into university curricula
of chemistry?
- What role should the ethics of chemistry play in the formulation of
public policy?
- What can we learn about the ethics of science in general and chemistry
in particular from historical cases of the involvement of scientists in
public affairs, such as the Manhattan project?
Manuscripts should follow the general Guidelines for Contributions,
available on the inside cover of HYLE and the HYLE web site. Submissions
should be received not later than May 31, 2001 in appropriate form for
anonymous reviews. Send papers and inquiries regarding suitability of
submissions etc. to the Editor.
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Dr. Joachim Schummer (Editor of HYLE)
Institute of Philosophy, University of Karlsruhe
D-76128 Karlsruhe, GERMANY
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HYLE International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~philosophie/hyle.html
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