University of Saint Anthony

(Dr. Santiago G. Ortega Memorial)

City of Iriga
College of Teacher Education

NGEC 4

CHAPTER 8

UNDERSTANDING
SCIENCE
This is not to suggest that science as an intellectual enterprise, can only succeed if it
makes ethical imperatives a primary concern. Science are not ethicists nor science a
subsidiary discipline of ethics.

It should be emphasized that science and ethics are two different spheres and can
only be effective if they as such.

In this context it appears that the real cause of tension is not science it self but a
particular attitude engendered by science. Scholars call this attitude scientism.

Mikael Stenmark
Author of the book, Scientism Science, Ethics and
Religion, scientism is a view which grants science
the privilege or the only reliable means of
knowing and interacting with reality.
If scientism is right then ethics definitely has no place in any scientific enterprise. But
scientism is not science and bacause they are two different things, there is reason to believe
that ethics will be an abiding consideration in any scientific endeavor. The function of ethics
when it forays into the activities of science is not really to intrude or interfere with its
exploration but mainly to underscore the larger contex of humane consideration which even
science cannot afford to ignore.

Albert Einstein

Who devoted himself to science and the ethical fundamentals

that characterize the intellectual commitments of a science like
himself.

His limited participation in the development of the atomic bomb which destroyed Nagasaki
and Hiroshima.

On August 6 and 9, 1945

Einstein wrote in the said letter “ I was well aware of
the dreadful danger for all mankind, if these
experiments would succeed. As long, however, as
nations ready to abolish war by common action and
to solve their conflict in a peaceful way on a legal
basis, they feel compelled to prepare for war. They
feel moreover compelled to prepare the most
abominable means in order to be left behind in the
general armaments race. Such procedure leads
inevitable to war which in turn under today’s
conditions spells universal destruction. Under such
circumstance, there is no hope in combating the
production of specific weapons or means of
destruction. Only radical abolition of war and of
danger of war can help. Toward this goal one should
strive in fact nobody should allow himself to be
forced into action contrary to this goal. This is a
harsh demand for anyone who is aware to his social
inter-relatedness but it can be followed:”
 Einstein is also the same reason that compels some
sectors to be very critical of the issue of stem cell
research. It is true that increased research on stem cell
and its utility can lead to a better understanding of its
curative effects.

Ethics also entails consequences which can

undermine the prospective benefits of the
medical use of stem cell.
Some of the ailments for which stem cell promises cure include;

Parkinson’s Disease Diabetes Spinal Cord Injury

 The extraction of stem cells involve the destruction of
blastocyst, a bundle of 180 to 200 cells, found in the
human embryo.

Some sectors believe that the embryo while not yet a

fully developed human person is morally equivalent to
a human.

Destroying the human embryo is tantamount to an

outright taking of an innocent life.

Downplay this argument and consider it as a product of misunderstanding as

to how stem cells are obtained. They deny the claim that stem cells can only
be successfully acquired at the cost of human life. Stem cells can be made
available either through cloning or cultivation in fertility clinics.
The question concerning the viability vis-à-vis the ethical quality of stem cell research
remains a compelling topic for debate until today.
People are torn between the urgency of finding a cure
for a number of serious illnesses which afflict many and
the quality challenging task of preserving the integrity of
human life regardless of its developmental stage. There
is no clear indication that this dilemma will be resolved
in the near future. Science and Ethics though distinct
from each other are not conflicting frontiers.

Human civilization depends on science for pushing the boundaries of progress but such
progress also has the potential of undermining the very cure of humanity if certain basic
values constitutive of the human person are set aside.

Both science and ethics can effectively achieve their ends only if they are employed in
tandem. Once segregated, either science or ethics may falter and humanity itself will be at
the losing end.
CHRISTIAN E. PANTON
BSED-1B