Ethics In Science Pedagogic Issues And Concerns

285 Pages·2019·3.54 MB·English

by  Astha Saxena

Astha Saxena
Ethics in Science
Pedagogic Issues and Concerns
Ethics in Science
Astha Saxena
Ethics in Science
Pedagogic Issues and Concerns
123
AsthaSaxena
Central Institute ofEducational Technology
NCERT
NewDelhi, India
ISBN978-981-32-9008-2 ISBN978-981-32-9009-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9009-9
©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2019
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar
methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom
therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained
hereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregard
tojurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Foreword
Between the years of 1976–1982, I “discovered” the intersection between science
andethicsduringmygraduatestudiesatSyracuseUniversityinNewYorkState.Of
course,whatisimportantin“discoverylearning,”asanyscienceeducatorknows,is
notthatsomeonediscoverssomethingthatnooneelsehaseverseenorthoughtof.
Rather, it is that one individual makes connections between or amongst ideas or
events in a novel manner allowing them to understand and “see” some part of the
wordthatwaspreviouslyunknowntothem.Forme,theactofdiscoverywasvery
much influenced having read Jacob Bronowski’s classic book Science and Human
Values (1956), and being influenced by Larry Kohlberg’s work on moral devel-
opmental theory. The term “bioethics” was barely on the radar in most academic
departments of Arts and Sciences, and courses in ethics were relegated to depart-
mentsofphilosophy.Iftheterm“professionalethics”wasmentionedincollegesof
education,itwaslimitedtohowtoconductoneselfinprofessionalsettings.Therole
ofethics,moralityandthelikewassimplyneitherpartoftheacademiclandscapein
terms of curriculum and the psychology of development, nor a focus for science
education during that time. In fact, I can distinctly recall numerous science edu-
catorsaskingme,“Whatdoesmoralreasoninghavetodowithscienceeducation?”
Theboundariesbetweenthosetwoareasatthattimewerequitedistinct,atleast
in terms of how science curricula were conceptualized and implemented. I have
spent the years since then attempting to persuade others in the field of science
education,aswellasrelatedareasofstudy,thatanyconceptualizationoffunctional
scientific literacy would fall short of the mark unless it necessarily attended to the
facilitation of the act of discovery for others to come to understand that science,
ethicsandthehumanconditionareindistinguishablefromeachotherintermsofthe
spread of virtue. Thatclaim generated afairlyrich researchprogramme inthearea
ofsocioscientificissues(SSIs)thathasanalyticallyandempiricallyexaminedtothe
roleofmoralreasoninginscience,andhowthecontextualizationofscienceimpacts
meaningful learning and discovery for students (e.g. see Kahn & Zeidler, 2019;
Zeidler, 2014; Zeidler & Keefer, 2003).
v
vi Foreword
It is indeed fortunate, and of immense satisfaction, to see the serious yet
accessible treatment that is afforded to SSI and related topics in Prof. Astha
Saxena’s new book. Although a good deal of time has passed (at least from my
perspective) since my graduate days, the topic of ethics in science, while likely
acknowledgedasimportanttoeducatorsthesedays,isanareathatwhenpressedfor
details, most have to confess ignorance. Ethics in science, most educators would
assent, seems important, at least on prima facie grounds. But what exactly would
constitute a reasonably working grounding in ethical inquiry, socioscientific issues
or pedagogical content knowledge for this domain? What would the implementa-
tion of teaching strategies, scientific argumentation skills or actual classroom dis-
course look like? These questions are central to achieving functional scientific
literacy.Thankfully,Prof.Saxenatakesthereaderonajournalofself-discoveryin
addressing all of these issues.
I find that most books written in related areas are not apprehensible to the
practitioner either because of the density of verbiage or lack of direct applicability
to their classroom needs, or in contrast, provide lock-step approaches to imple-
mentation without providing an appropriate rationale for the educational, philo-
sophicalordevelopmentalimportancefortheexerciseofsuchapproaches.Ethicsin
Science strikes the Golden Mean. It does not shy away from philosophical topics
such as Kant’s Categorical Imperative, for example; rather, it is presented in a
manner that helps provide a pedagogical rationale for its importance in science
teachingandlearning.Likewise,itprovidesaroadmapforteachersandstudentsto
understandthenuancesofdiscoursethroughactualclassroomnarratives.Ifindthis
a refreshing contrast to the step-by-step (lock-step) approach because as with any
road map, it allows for the exercise of judgement in deciding on how one might
choose from a plethora of alternative routes to arrive at a certain destination in a
journey that best suits their sensibilities.
This book is research-based but tempered by an intimate familiarity with prac-
tice. It extends the conversation about the central role of morality and ethics in
scienceeducation.Fortheuninitiated,itprovidesasolidstructurefortheepistemic
scaffoldingofSSIandethicaldiscourse.Forthosewhoalreadyhavebeenworking
in this area, it offers a fresh and creative perspective to the power of teaching
science-in-context that is personally meaningful. While this work focuses on sec-
ondary and post-secondary experiences, I believe that its underlying argument and
principles are applicable to all levels of formal and informal science education.
Iinvitethereaderstobegintheirownjournalnomatterwherethestartingpointlies.
Dana L. Zeidler
Distinguished University Professor
Science Education
University of South Florida
Tampa, USA
Foreword vii
References
Bronowski,J.(1956).Scienceandhumanvalues.NewYork:JulianMessner,Inc.
Kahn, S., & Zeidler, D. L. (2019). A conceptual analysis of perspective taking: Positioning a
tangled construct within science education and beyond. Science & Education. Early View:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-019-00044-2.
Zeidler, D. L. (2014). Socioscientific Issues as a Curriculum Emphasis: Theory, Research and
Practice. InN. G. Lederman&S. K. Abell (Eds.),Handbook of Research on Science
Education,Vol.II(pp.697–726).NewYork,NY:Routledge.
Zeidler,D.L.&Keefer,M.(2003).Theroleofmoralreasoningandthestatusofsocioscientific
issues in science education: Philosophical, psychological and pedagogical considerations.
InD.L.Zeidler(Ed.),Theroleofmoralreasoningonsocioscientificissuesanddiscoursein
scienceeducation.TheNetherlands:KluwerAcademicPress.(pp.7–38).
Preface
Scienceandethicscannomorebevieweddialectically, asbothhavescope forthe
other. Science and its method can no more be taken as objective and empirical in
approach; rather, they inhere an element of subjectivity coming mainly through
researcher’s bias, background, culture, prior knowledge, etc. However, ethics
determines the code of conduct in the society and helps in decision-making as to
which actions are deemed “good” along with the reason for choosing particular
actions over others. The role of Ethics in Science comes via two different routes:
One is through the content of Science where Ethics and ethical principles can be
integrated for an interdisciplinary understanding of the issues that arise at the
interface of Science, technology, society and environment, and the other way for
integrating ethics in science could be indulging in the ethical practice of Science,
whereinissuessuchasplagiarism,manipulationofdata,honestyinrecordingofthe
observations, and issue offair treatment and equal opportunity need to be addres-
sed.1Theformerapproachformsthebaseandbackgroundforthelatterone,asthe
understanding of ethics, ethical principles and their applications is very important
sothatthepracticeofsciencebecomesmoreethicalandlessmaterialistic. Further,
another component can be added to make the relationship complete:
Science-------Ethics--------Humanism
This component of Humanism or care for human individuals comes only when
sciences abide by the ethical principles and clearly denotes that science without
ethics cannot lead toward a humanitarian growth and development (Frolov &
Yudin, 1989). Theseinterlinkages between science, ethics and humanism form the
basis of a socioscientific-ethical approach proposed for sciences. Many such inci-
dentscanbecitedwheretheexternalagenciesmanipulatedsciencetoservecertain
anthropocentricgainsfloutingallethicalcodesandprinciples.BhopalGasTragedy
of1984wasoneofthemostdevastatingincidentsofthetwentiethcenturyinwhich
1Muralidhar,K.,Ghosh,A.&Singhvi,A.K.(Eds.)(2019).EthicsinScienceEducation-Research
andGovernance.NewDelhi:INSA.
ix
x Preface
the leakage of methyl isocyanide gas caused many deaths along with many
unknown mutations resulting in serious abnormalities and defects in the future
generations. The cause of that leakage, it is still a mystery, besides the Union
Carbide Corporation (UCC) is still not willing to reveal the exact composition
of the lethal gas cloud that was responsible for the carnage. This goes clearly
against the scientific ethos and ethics of not communicating the results of the
research carried out by UCC to the community. Similarly, another such incident,
the Endosulfan Tragedy, occurred in Kerala in 2010 where the pesticide chemical
caused many physical ailments in the people and the nearby farmers. Here, also, a
sheerviolationofresearchethicsisevidentinnottestingthechemicalappropriately
for its side effects on human population. All of these incidents rather tragedies
resulted from a particular notion of development that gave more precedence to
technological growth and human anthropocentrism. The prevalent notion needs to
bechecked by incorporatinga synergisticinterrelationshipbetweendevelopmental
initiatives, society and environment. Hence, the moot question that should be of
concerntodayisthat,dowereallyneedsuchtechnology?Isthereanurgentneedto
takeadetoursoastorevivethelosthumanvaluesandethicsthatshouldhavebeen
the guiding force in each and every scientific and technology research?
Thus,aneedarisesatthistimeforthesciencestoconsidertheinseparableroleof
ethics in its each and every endeavour, because it is only by virtue of ethics that
sciences can be liberating in a true sense and transform the materialistic and
anthropocentric mindset to an egalitarian and eco-centric one.
This component of ‘ethics in science’ was for the first time exhibited by Sir
Robert K. Merton (1973), an American sociologist who founded the scientific
sociology of science. He stated in his landmark paper on science and the social
order, published in 1938, that science has an ethos that consists of intellectual
honesty, integrity, epistemic communism, organized scepticism, disinterestedness,
impersonality and universality (Richards, 1983). These represent a set of inherent
value components of sciences and characteristic traits of a scientist that are con-
sideredtobethenormsinascientificcommunityforcarryingoutauthenticresearch
practice. However, the purpose of the present study is not limited just to scientific
researchbuttotheirapplicationinthesocietythatneedstobejustifiableonethical
grounds.Thisisnotinanywaytounderminethekindofresearchesinscienceand
technologybuttogenerateanunderstandingabouttherealneed,purposeandintent
behindthemthatneedstoberedefinedandtestedwellsoastoavoidsuchdisasters
to grip the humanity again.
This is what seems to be the missing link between science education and sci-
entific literacy of which one component is an ethical understanding about
day-to-day socioscientific issues. Thus, a need for including these issues in the
curriculum atall thelevelswhich need tobe duly reflected in classroom teaching–
learningprocessesisrequired tofostersuchanunderstanding.The presentbookis
writtenwithanaimtodelveintothesocioscientific-ethicalcharacterofscienceand
technologyandfocusesuponthepedagogicalaspectofethicalissuesinthecontext
of biological sciences.
Preface xi
The approach of the present book, Ethics in Science: Pedagogic Issues &
Concerns is a bifocal one, as it aims to reinforce the role of Ethics in Science and
alsoestablishesthepreponderanceofteachers’knowledgedomainsintheteaching
of ethical issues in biological sciences. An attempt has been made to highlight the
place given to these ethical issues in the Science curriculum and praxis by
understanding the pedagogy adopted and practised by the teachers in the Indian
classrooms.Thisisthespecialfeatureofthepresentbook.Thethemeofthebookis
situated broadly in the area of ‘socioscientific-ethical issues’, wherein an attempt
has been made to delve into the deeper controversies and conundrums associated
with various researches in science and technology and their impact on the society
and environment. The curriculum at senior secondary and undergraduate levels
though touches upon these areas by giving them some space in the textbooks, but
the same might not be sufficient to generate an authentic ethical understanding on
these issues. Hence,anotherpurposeof thisbookistohighlighttheplace given to
these issues in the textual content, classroom transactions, learner comprehension
and assessment procedures.
The present book derives its significance from the fact that there are a very few
referencematerialsavailableintheareaofteachers’knowledge,notions,pedagogic
practices and their interplay in the domain of socioscientific-ethical issues. This
could be due to the fact that ethical issues are considered as vestigial part of the
curriculum as it is a general notion that ethics and values tend to slow down the
pace of development referred to as ‘ethical lag’ (Caplan, 1998). However, such a
notion is now deeply contested as science is no more considered to be value-free
and completely objective devoid of human component. Hence, the book in a way
triestorejectthisbeliefbyexplaininghowvaluesinfluenceteachers’understanding
ofscienceandtechnology aswellastakingdecisionsonthesamewhen itimpacts
the society where ethics plays a predominant role. In the present century when we
are at the pinnacle of technological progress and making a mark in the world be it
anyfieldsuchasmedicine,agriculture,engineering,economicsandnuclearpower,
then on the other hand we have also been a witness to some of the disasters of
scienceandtechnology, such asBhopal Gas Tragedy (1984),declining femalesex
ratio due to increasing feticides using amniocentesis2, Endosulfan Tragedy in
Kerala (1976–2000) and the recent Kerala Floods (2018). In the present book, an
attempt has been made to understand the deeper contours of these tragedies and
argue for the place of ethics in science and scientific practice. Can we continually
usenatureanditsresourcestothelevelbeyonditscarryingcapacity?Doweneedto
be more mindful and ethical in our decisions with respect to introducing any new
2The worst hit region being Haryana, where such a practice is still prevailing under garbs. The
statisticsshowthatnotonlytheilliteratebuttheeducatedelitearealsogoingforsuchapractice
duetoacravingforamalechild.Datafromthecensusof2001suggeststhatthereareonly933
women for every 1000 men in India (Census of India 2001 Provisional population totals http://
www.censusindia.net).TheUNin 2001estimated thatthere were44million missing women in
India (United Nations World population prospects: The 2000 revision: Highlights. New York:
PopulationDivision,DepartmentofEconomicsandSocialAffairs).