Debating Science

In this work, accomplished scholars and noted experts focus on ethical deliberation and the larger moral context surrounding the controversies over scientific research and technological innovations. The insightful and accessible original works emphasize deliberation rather than adversarial debate—that is, they encourage the development of mental habits that enable stakeholders to work comprehensively and systematically through challenging issues with others.

This compelling volume addresses such foundational issues as the need for ethics education, applying ethics to science debates, determining moral objectives, freedom versus public regulation, outlining economic considerations, and effectively communicating science to the public—all of which must be considered before examining the current debates surrounding biotechnology, nanotechnology, and climate change.

Topics considered include food security, the apparent urgency of the global warming problem versus public indifference, designing nanotechnology that is mindful of ethical considerations, and much more. The views expressed here will help students and citizens alike become better informed about science and will go far toward promoting constructive discussion about the values at stake in contemporary debates over scientific research and emerging technologies.

Dane Scott II, PhD, is director of the Mansfield Ethics and Public Affairs Program and associate professor of ethics, Department of Society and Conservation, College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana.

Blake Francis, MA, is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at Stanford University.