Ethics in Science and Technology
Year:2009 | Volume:3 | Issue:3-4|Papers Count:14

From ancient times (about 20-30 thousand years ago) with settlements of human groups and formation of primitive societies, imitation and misuse of others, thoughts and idias, and benefiting from their useful obtained gatherings, have been experienced. Often, the ignorant, pretends the ideas and obtained results of the wise, as his own and in this way, obtains fame, prestige and Wealth, Probably, this imitation and fabrication is the first step in stealing ideas.Time after time, with invasion of Iran by foreign ethnic groups, most writings, collections of wise statements or divans, texts of advises and oaths, official orders and ethical codes, customs and rules of conducts of this renowned and cultured land, along with books and library burnings, culture eradications, particularly in areas of literature (language and writings) and arts, have been destroyed or plundered. It is not surprising that the contents of those texts, appeared later in the literatures and cultures of the invaders, as their own.Many of the review articles, data collections and even research papers, particularly when the author (s) speaks of the work and obtained data without making proper references to the origin (knowingly or unknowingly) mislead the reader to the idia that the writing is the findings and productions of the author of the new article.Undoubtedly, teachers ought to teach their students, from the beginning, how to avoid imitations, hypocrisies, deceit, fraud, dishonesty in all social fields, including science.Parts of the scientific reports, even in the margins of the science, particularly in developing countries, are in fact nailing up wisdom and ideas of others with new topics namely plagiarism. Unfortunately, this ethical misconduct, more or less, has been experienced not only at university level, but also in industry, arts, thoughts and reflections, politics and governing levels.After this short summary, some vocabularies and their interpretations, glossary of selected group, in this area, with their Persian equivalents are presented.Thereafter, the text of statement of the Association of Editors of National Medical journals on "publication ethics and prevention of scientific misconduction" is presentedA note from the Editor:-………….opinions of the editor of this Journal for reminding and completion of prevention methods in propagation of this scientific calamity have been stressed.

Backgrounds: This article reflects on critical importance of scientific ethos and the ethical standards of social and professional conduct in science.Methods: The interplay between modern science and ethics is one of the issues that have been addressed by many for runners of sociology of science including RK. Merton and DB. Resnik. While Merton sees science as an autonomous and self-ruling social institution with distinct set of institutionalized imperatives and norms or ethos that ethically governs the social connotations of science and the social conducts of scientists. Resnik presumes that science is more than a social institution; it is also a profession, with its own professional ethics and rules. In his view, the obligation to adhere to professional ethics in science has constructive impact on its function and helps to maintain and promote public faith in science and scientists. Despite their obvious differences on the nature of science, they both recognize the importance of the adherence to certain ethos and ethical standards in doing science. They both assert that, in an anomic and unethical environment, science and academia can not reach their proposed goals and objectives, and it faces further institutional and/or professional frustration. Coclusions: The ethos and ethical standards are indispensable part of science and scientific activities, since they serve to protect the very nature of science and academia from what is termed "corruption and fraud in science and academic research."

Background: Ethical values are the strongest inhibitory factors against deviant behaviors in different settings, particularly in work settings. In other words with internal mastery of ethical values, people do not let themselves engage in deviant behaviors such as counterproductive behaviors in work settings. Therefore, the main purpose of this research was the ranking of counterproductive behaviors from industries and organizations supervisors’ and managers’ viewpoint in Esfahan city.Method: In direction of research aim, from some organizations and industries’ managers and supervisors in Esfahan city, 55 supervisors and managers were selected with the use of random sampling to answer the research questionnaire. Research questionnaire was the ranking questionnaire with 30 items which was made and administered for this research. Items of this questionnaire, including series of counterproductive behaviors, which extracted from research literature, and the sample of managers and supervisor must rank 30 items from first to thirty ranks on the basis of inhibitory effects of the items on organizational aims and performance. Data was analyzed by using chi-square test, percentile rank table and cluster analysis.Results: Findings showed that the most important counterproductive behaviors from first to tenth preference are the: 1) reveal confidential information (common with theft of organization and coworker’s money), 2) engage in pseudosexual or sexual behaviors toward coworkers (particularly opposite sex), 3) theft of organization assets or properties, 4) use of narcotics in organization or work setting, 5) destructions in products or offering services, 6) coming to work under the influence of alcohol, 7) buy and sell of drugs at work, 8) use of alcohol on the job, 9) be careless toward assets and property and 10) possess the narcotics or drugs in organization.Conclussion: Evidence of this research showed that the managers and supervisors of organizations and industries firstly have made importance for destructive behaviors and property theft, deviation in relationships and narcotics or drugs issues rather than other deviant behaviors.

Background: Over five decades have passed from starting the presentation of courses about moral and ethics profession and technology for academic education courses. Today, according to the development of using the information technology in Iran, the preparation of a framework for academic courses seems necessary.Methods: In this paper, various aspects of ethics concepts that are related to information technology are reviewed.Conclussion: We propose conceptual educational areas for all stakeholder groups through an innovative pattern using an extension of ZACHMAN framework. Then, a sample of course outline is proposed using the knowledge base pattern of course content generation (based on knowledge areas and units: ACM & IEEE course development model) to teach in bachelor of computer engineering and information technology.

Background: There are two theories proposed by problem-based approaches to distinguish good acts from bad ones in normative ethic: Teleoligism, which connects the goodness or badness of an act to its implications; and the Deontologism that relates the morality of an act to its characteristics of its nature. These two theories underlie reductionism, individualism and indifference to variety of people and conditions. These problems lead us to the Virtue-based Ethics. In this approach, an act is moral when it has adequate function in human society and leads the society to the happiness. This point of view focuses on the context of an act; and ethical training of society members. When we say: "media responsibility for the ethics in society", it means that media should involve in the ethical training of society and the accession of moral virtues. It seems that the virtue-based approach hasn't been an important matter in broadcasting, and it is possible to show a relation between problem-based approach and news values.Conclusion: In the virtue-based point of view, educational effects of reports are criteria for the writing and broadcasting them. So the broadcasting of news is not a simple action of informing, but it has ethical effects in society.

Background: One of the basic and inalienable rights of human being is the right to choose his food requirements according to his own desires. With regard to protecting the rights of all members of society as food consumers, realizing everyone’s right is an ethical necessity which has been always recognized.When talking about the definition of consumer and his rights, it should be pointed out that a consumer is the one who consumes an economic stuff and his rights are considered as: the rights to have health, information and selection, the rights to offer, to receive recompense, to receive instruction and training about newly presented products of the market, to prepare the initial needs of his life and finally the right to decide about expedients and requirements of his own, his family and  people under his guardianship. Understanding the concept of the rights of consumer will pose another subject named “personal independence”. Independence is defined as, “the ability to show one’s ego besides keeping his identity through making choice and decision in the area of his own behavior.”  Independence is considered as opposed to paternalism in which a person, party or an institute makes decision for the other’s life and expedients from the position of power, without seeking for his consent. But in today’s world of production, business and economy, it is the certain right of the consumers to be informed about genetically modified (GM) foods and genetically modified microorganisms (GMO) to have their own choice in consuming them.Conclusion: It is still needed that more researches are carried out for the long term effects of these foodstuff. Easy accessibility of the accurate and correct information as well as providing the society with the appropriate trainings will be efficient tools to reduce the society's distrust and distress towards GM foods. Therefore, labeling the GM crops or marking the GM foodstuffs and microorganisms are regarded as a kind of respect to the consumers’ rights and leads to attract their trust and confidence.

Background: Environmental Conservation depends on individuals and can be affected by their attitude and beliefs. The perception of human-nature interaction and valuing the environment will ultimately build up living environment and also a basis for interacting with other creatures. Environmental ethics is a guarantee for behaving rightly with creatures and conserving nature from being damaged. Thus, environmental ethics education has been receiving more attention in recent discourse on environmental conservation in order to train ethical persons in relation to the environment. Methods: Based on descriptive methodology, present article tries to illuminate two important things. First, it attempts to answer the question of why scientific and research institutes like universities and theological schools should pay enough attention to research on environmental ethics. Second, it tries to indicate some important distinctive features of environmental ethics which should be considered in the area of research on environmental ethics. Conclusion: This article concludes that it is a vocation for scientific and research institutes to enhance environmental knowledge and practice of environmental ethics in community. For this reason and because of some characteristics of environmental ethics like its extent, interdisciplinary and pluralistic nature, researchers need to use para-disciplinary research methodologies in order to form some appropriate theories and approaches which are crucial to establish home statute of moral environmental code.

From ancient times (about 20-30 thousand years ago) with settlements of human groups and formation of primitive societies, imitation and misuse of others, thoughts and idias, and benefiting from their useful obtained gatherings, have been experienced. Often, the ignorant, pretends the ideas and obtained results of the wise, as his own and in this way, obtaions fame, prestige and Wealth, Probably, this imitation and fabrication is the first step in stealing ideas.Time after time, with invasion of Iran by foreign ethnic groups, most writings, collections of wise statements or divans, texts of advises and oaths, official orders and ethical codes, customs and rules of conducts of this renowned and cultured land, along with books and library burnings, culture eradications, particularly in areas of literature (language and writings) and arts, have been destroyed or plundered. It is not surprising that the contents of those texts, appeared later in the literatures and cultures of the invaders, as their own.Many of the review articles, data collections and even research papers, particularly when the author (s) speaks of the work and obtained data without making proper references to the origin (knowingly or unknowingly) mislead the reader to the idia that the writing is the findings and productions of the author of the new article.Undoubtedly, teachers ought to teach their students, from the beginning, how to avoid imitations, hypocrisies, deceit, fraud, dishonesty in all social fields, including science.Parts of the scientific reports, even in the margins of the science, particularly in developing countries, are in fact nailing up wisdom and ideas of others with new topics namely plagiarism. Unfortunately, this ethical misconduct, more or less, has been experienced not only at university level, but also in industry, arts, thoughts and reflections, politics and governing levels.After this short summary, some vocabularies and their interpretations, glossary of selected group, in this area, with their Persian equivalents are presented.Thereafter, the text of statement of the Association of Editors of National Medical journals on "publication ethics and prevention of scientific misconduction" is presentedAnote from the Editor:-………….opinions of the editor of this Journal for reminding and completion of prevention methods in propagation of this scientific calamity have been stressed.

Background: Although biotechnology is the science of God’s creation, but potential risks are presented by this technology as well. The magnitude and scope of the consequences to human and animal health and ecosystems may be very serious as the effects are irreversible.  Nations of the Thirld World countries are increasingly faced with the prospect of the introduction into their countries of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and products thereof. These will enter the Thirld World countries in greater abaundance as the movement by consumers, manufacturers and retailers in developed countries to reject these GMOs and products thereof. The ethics about this technology and especially environmental biotechnology is distinguished. Intrinsic and extrinsic ethics due to scientific and unapproved  information of the genetic material and … are of  importance.Conclusion: There are countries in the world which their economics depends on modern biotechnology. In many countries unavailability of rules and regulation is the major cause of biopiracy. The existence of International and National Laws and regulations are of the great importance. Neverthless in some countries common rules and regulations are available but they are not specifically for Genetically Modified Organisms from ethical and biosafety point of view. 

Background: Attention to the relation between human morals and learning can play an important role in elevation of scientific centers. The existence of this relation is certainly according to make use of the religion text, but the philosophical principles have been less studied. Methods: This study is accomplished in library and in a descriptive way. For this aim, first the accepted view in learning and method of human understanding is explained and so by the view to philosophical principle relation between morals and understanding, the reaction and effect of the human morals and behavior in learning is explained.Results: It's necessary to pay attention to the relation between theoretical and practical reasons to survey the philosophical principle relation between morals and understanding. In another view, we can pay attention to physical constitution place in this relation. The influence of the physical constitution from human morals and behavior is proved in philosophy. On the other hand, the physical constitution plays an important part in belonging body to mind that is place of science, so the physical constitution can be intermediated between these two fundamental characters of human rise. Conclusion: The influence of human morals and learning - as one of the various factors - on the understanding, and vice versa, can play an important role in ethics, so the rules of Islam - that's the perfect program for human happiness- is the best perfect rule to rise human in the science and action.

Background: Medical ethics is a discipline that outlines the requirements of caregiving and research in order to protect the patients and trial participants from harm and maltreatment. Similar to other branches of medicine, dentistry also needs a morality-based guideline to provide the best quality of care to individuals with oral problems. The fundamental concept of ethics in dental practitioners is a reflection of the ethical curriculum employed during their graduate training. The present study focuses on the application and teaching of bioethics in dentistry. Dental students are an ideal group for learning the essentials of professional ethics that can lead to improved communication with patients and other health-care professionals. Teaching ethics in dentistry is currently based on traditional oral lecturing and religious beliefs. Indifference towards the practical aspects of bioethics in dental schools has decreased its efficiency. A pure theoretical approach to the topic can bore the students and cause a lower level of engagement. And bioethics courses that are currently offered in dental schools are usually based on those presented in the medical curriculum and the differences between the two professions has not been incorporated into the dental graduate program.A treatment is considered successful when it is established on the basis of morality, doctor-patient communication and expectations of the patients.Conclusion: The goal of an ethics course in the dental curriculum is to ensure that all students are able to employ their acquired knowledge of moral issues in clinical settings. Therefore reevaluation of the ethics course should become a major concern of dental faculties.

Background: The values such as morality, conscience, liability and responsibility act as catalyst in changing a new idea and thought into a product and its presentation to the market, and they cause the entrepreneurship process become shorter and more effective. On the other hand, these values will attract the confidence of entrepreneurs aiming at future sight and implementing new ideas. In interaction with economical and cultural factors of entrepreneurship, the above values may lead to the ultimate level of confidence of the entrepreneurs that is their sacrifice; as a result, the economical and cultural development of the society is unavoidable. The fair distribution of income, growth of investment and all economical and social factors will be indirectly subject to these values.Conclusion: Introducing moral aspects and job conscience and defining the concept of entrepreneurship, has been tried to illuminate the role of these values in this area.

Background: This paper examines the construct of ethics in general and of business ethics in particular and provides a conceptual discussion of the dynamics of ethics  in society and the dynamics of business ethics in the marketplace. Ethics and business ethics constructs are dependent upon two principal parameters; time and culture. Eventually, ethics and business ethics are about what is perceived as acceptable or unacceptable at a specific time and in a specific cultural setting. What was ethical yesterday may not be ethical today, and what is ethical today may not be ethical tomorrow. Method: Based on the relationship between time and culture, dynamics of ethics through them and their effects on business ethics, the conceivable gaps between ethics (from the community’s view) and business ethics (from company’s view) have been discussed and a model of business ethics dynamics through time and culture has been represented.Conclusion: Usually both the company’s view and the views of others may determine what is acceptable or unacceptable in business ethics. This is a social construction that may differ between the parties involved in a specific context. The discussion is supported by two brief and different cases from the automobile industry (the Ford and Volvo cases). Following the assessment of their scenarios of business ethics, some managerial remarks has been mentioned finally.