Nauka i etyka nauki. Owoce wiążącej mocy prawdy

Agnieszka LEKKA-KOWALIK

Chair of the Methodology of Sciences, Institute of Theoretical Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al. Racławic− kie 14, 20−950 Lublin, Poland , Polska

Abstrakt

The paper first discusses the question of whether there exists any ethics for scientists, as well as the answer to this question proposed by Tadeusz Styczeń. This constitutes the point of departure for arguing that the ethics of science is grounded in the binding power of truth (which is another concept worked out by Styczeń). In order to demonstrate it it is argued that (1) truth as adaequatio is the goal of science neither replaceable nor reducible to any set of cognitive values; (2) the binding power of truth is the basis for the methodological requirement that reliable scientific results should be accepted by all researchers; (3) methodological value−judgements have a basis in ethical value−judgments, and there are no reasons why the former should be recognized as binding researchers and the latter as not binding them; (4) there is no conflict between cognitive values and ethical ones, for respecting any of them requires respecting truths cognized by the researchers, regardless of the domain those truths belong to, i.e. ethical truths are binding in the same way as biological ones. The practical consequences of this approach are shortly sketched, among them the need to reform education and the training of young scientists.

Słowa kluczowe:

research ethics, binding power of truth, cognitive values, value judgement, knowledge as a good for the human being, scientists as men of conscience