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%VALUE-NEUTRAL SCIENCE 771126
Science is often considered as being value-neutral
because scientists as individuals have viewed themselves
as serving a purpose which transcended value questions---
the quest for the absolute truth which transcends human
conceptions and formulations. Such scientists view
reality and truths about reality to be objective---having
an independent existence apart from human understanding,
desires, and choices. They view values as pertaining to
human desires and choices; morality, ethics, and religious
beliefs. Since Galileo and the inception of the Royal
Society, scientists have disavowed concern with morality,
ethics, religion, and politics---and focused narrowly upon
the discovery of objective truth about the nature of the
objective reality. It has been assumed that since the
focus of their concern has been outside the domain of
values, their activities are value neutral.
Since the tremendous growth of science and its
feeding the military-industrial complex's exponential
appetite has occasioned great social consequences, many
people are beginning to recognize that scientists are not
value neutral---their personal activities have many
valuable consequences and many tragic consequences, and
they occasion the spending of a significant portion of the
taxes collected. The recognition of the value
implications of scientific activities on the part of
scientists is only the superficial level of the
masquerade, however. At a deeper level, scientists have
begged the question, and concealed their values so that
they would not be subjected to a critical examination by
those who do not accept them.
Scientists value the objective world and the
objective truth so highly that they have blinded
themselves and others to the possibility of valuing in
ways which call into question the objective world view and
question the ultimate value of objective truth. Science is
not value-neutral precisely because it values the essence
of science more than continued intimate dialogue with non-
scientists: To put it more properly scientists are not
value-neutral, because they choose to attend to their
scientific/engineering activities to the exclusion of
intimate dialogue with people who have an aversion
reaction to exclusive objectivity, analysis, systematic
approaches, etc. Scientists do have their own unique set
of values.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
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