title: A network approach for distinguishing ethical issues in research and development.
abstract: In this paper we report on our experiences with using network analysis to discern and analyse ethical issues in research into, and the development of, a new wastewater treatment technology. Using network analysis, we preliminarily interpreted some of our observations in a Group Decision Room (GDR) session where we invited important stakeholders to think about the risks of this new technology. We show how a network approach is useful for understanding the observations, and suggests some relevant ethical issues. We argue that a network approach is also useful for ethical analysis of issues in other fields of research and development. The abandoning of the overarching rationality assumption, which is central to network approaches, does not have to lead to ethical relativism.
authors.affiliation: Delft University of Technology, Department of Philosophy, School of Technology, Policy and Management, PO Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, the Netherlands. s.d.zwart@tbm.tudelft.nl
authors.forename: Sjoerd D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Zwart
authors.forename: Ibo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van de Poel
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Mil
authors.forename: Michiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brumsen
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D026689:Ethical Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000941:ethics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000941:ethics