Philosophical Foundations of Scientific Ethics

A philosophical foundation, like an architectural one, provides an underpinning for a larger structure. Its bricks and cinder blocks are basic concepts and assumptions that support a system of beliefs and practices. The support provided by a philosophical foundation is logical and conceptual, not physical: a foundation justifies the structure it supports. If we view scientific ethics as a system of rules, concepts, beliefs, and practices, then its foundation consists of basic principles and concepts that justify this system. My aim in this paper is to explore the basic principles and concepts that underlie scientific ethics. I will argue that scientific ethics is founded both on concerns and goals internal to science and on societal norms. This two-tiered foundation supports six basic principles of research as well as other ethical principles that apply to science. I will also develop some policy implications based on this philosophical analysis.