Abstract
This chapter deals with the ethics of group life in the sciences, if not directly with the policy of science that might evolve from it, and more precisely with the issue of democracy within scientific life.1 I uphold a “naturalized” conception of ethics in the moderate sense that I consider that a relevant formulation of moral norms (like the duty of respect towards others) has to be illuminated by a close analysis of the effective social life (although not reduced to it). This viewpoint is compatible with a “naturalized[“ conception of social epistemology, understood as a formulation of the norms of knowledge (like logical and empirical validity norms) close to the effective processes of scientific life (Goldman 1999, 2002; Thagard 1998a, 1998b).2 Consequently, this ethical and epistemological study would like to contribute to the sociology of knowledge in Robert Merton’s (1942) style as well, aiming at characterising the “ethos of science”, that is not only the effective standards of scientific life but also the ideal moral norms of science and reciprocally.
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Bouvier, A. (2009). Joint Commitment, Coercion and Freedom in Science: Conceptual Analysis and Case Studies. In: Van Bouwel, J. (eds) The Social Sciences and Democracy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230246867_8
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