Why science cannot stand alone.
In an era in which certain arenas of scientific research have become increasingly controversial, this article critically evaluates what it means to "believe in science." Many scientists today seem to claim a sovereign right to no political interference under the rubric of freedom. This article questions such a notion, and explores the dominance of science and the silencing of moral voices by undertaking two brief investigations-the first into National Socialist Germany, which insisted that it was defined by "applied biology," and the second into the world of contemporary American biomedicine. When all ethical barriers are eradicated, it seems that a will to power takes over-manifested in Nazi Germany's vaunted scientific autonomy. In light of these sobering historical examples, this article reminds the reader that members of the public, including physicians, rightly deliberate about how to conscientiously order their lives together, and that part of that instrinsically political deliberation is to set limits to the ways medical science is applied and what scientists may do in pursuit of their goals.
University of Chicago Divinity School, Swift Hall 202, 1025 E. 58th St., Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. jbelshta@midway.uchicago.edu
Jean Bethke
JB
Elshtain
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000941:ethics; D003242:Conscience; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D032984:Ethics, Research; D005053:Eugenics; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000941:ethics; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D028681:Moral Obligations; D028683:National Socialism; D011640:Public Policy; D012586:Science / Q000941:ethics; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States; D026712:Value of Life