Responsible Research and Development: Roles of Ethicists on the Laboratory Floor

Abstract

The rapid and further accelerating pace of science and technology has led to concerns that ethical deliberations often come too late. Ethics in this perspective, could, at best, act as a repair service for problems that are already out in the open: ‘It is a familiar cliché that ethics does not keep pace with technology’ (Moor and Weckert 2003). In contrast, the ‘ethics first’ model postulates comprehensive ethical reflection on the possible impact in advance of the technological development. It is possible for ethics to reflect and discuss the normative implications of items long before their entry into the market because scientific and technical knowledge will make early ideas available about possible application fields, innovations and their societal impacts (risks, as well as chances). Ethical inquiry already made during the very early stages of a development could provide orientation for shaping either the relevant process of scientific advance and technological development, or the envisaged product lines. However, ethical reflection in this model has to deal with the control dilemma (Collingridge 1980): the relevant knowledge about technology and its consequences is uncertain and preliminary, a fact that hinders, and possibly prevents, actions of efficiently and effectively shaping technology. In the course of the continuing concretisation of the technological possibilities, it is then possible to continuously concretise ethical assessment and advice by taking into account the continuously improving knowledge base of emerging innovation.