1 Some points to consider Thomas Potthast Interdepartmental Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Workshop Seeking an Agenda: Environmental and technology ethics – Relevant research themes ASFPG Hamburg, June 2005

2 1The Tübingen Program of Ethik in den Wissenschaften and some problems 2Precautionary Science and/vs Relativism 3Epistemic-Moral Hybrids 4Inclusive Environmental Ethics

3 The Tübingen Program of Ethik in den Wissenschaften Ethik in den Wissenschaften relating to Sciences and Humanities! However: Focus on biomedical and environmental sciences for contingent reasons Discussing ethical issues of science and technology already in the process of research, not only when it comes to application Discussion among scientists and ethicists on scientific and ethical and political issues of the problem(s): Interdepartmental and interdisciplinary Ethicist are not the born experts for moral decisions

4 The Tübingen Program of Ethik in den Wissenschaften and some problems Driven by priority of sciences/ technology, not by societal problems - GMOs are the answer but what was the question? (Christine von Weizsäcker) Not possible asking the tough questions: Legitimacy of whole fields of research (Agro-GM, Theology?) Priorities: First getting the facts straight (who decides?), then doing an evaluation (by whom?) Explication of implicit values within science and technology Interdisciplinarity between participants and/or within one researcher? => both needed

5 Precautionary Sciences and/vs Relativism Precautionary Principle as ethical, political and legal principle, more than just heuristic of fear (Jonas) Multitudes of uncertainties, multitude of sciences shaping background information of PP => New post-normal Expertocracy? How to deal with it in world not only of scientific uncertainty but of plural moral norms just returning to general prudence and thereby loosing societal perspective of good life and justice issues?

6 Ambivalent structure of environmental and technology ethics (and bioethics) Combining empirical scientific and moral Aspects – as both cause and resolution/ remedy of a problem: New and old moral questions facing new technologies/scientific practices (GMO, …) Scientific theories as background of moral judgements and ethical theories (ecological non- equilibria; behavioural ecology; climate models, …)

7 Epistemic-moral Hybrids Specific Conjunction of: Scientific Concepts/Theories Scientific Practices Ethically normative Judgements Ethical Implications/Norms for Action

8 Epistemic-moral Hybrids Hybrid presupposes (analytically, ex post) separable original tokens Not necessarily in the form of Is-ought or Naturalistic Fallacy Not often in the form of hypothetical sentences: If E and N are given, then M should be done as mixed judgements Often only implicit and application oriented

9 Epistemic-moral Hybrids Agenda: Explication of the implicit Transformation of fallacious judgements into hypothetical If E and N are given, then M should be done Analysing and critically evaluating different ethos (ethoi?) and normative powers of the context(s)

10 Environmental Values: a conceptual mess Inherent Value = Selbstwert = Member of moral community: => Value lies within the object (other terms: intrinsic value, Eigenwert) Intrinsic Value = (anthroporelational Value) Eigenwert: => externally designated (by humans) (other terms: extrinsic value, inherent value)

11 Environmental Values: False alternatives Either Physiocentric or Anthropocentric Value as a false alternative Interaction between humans and nature as a value- generating process inclusing both (cf. Friedrich Engels: Dialectic of Nature)

12 Environmental Ethics: Beyond Axiology Value Theories pushing both deontological and virtue ethics approaches on the side Deontological ethics: Precautionary principle, environmental justice issues etc. Virtue Ethics: getting beyond only external obligations, recognizing good life and environment

13 2 Zur Natur der Ungewissheit Allgemein Abwesenheit der Möglichkeit sicheren Wissens im Sinne eines eindeutigen Für-wahr-Haltens Bezug auf - Vergangenes (Kausalerklärungen) - Aktuelles (Geltung und Gültigkeit) - Zukünftiges (Prognosen) Jeder Wahrscheinlichkeitswert p < 1

14 2 Zur Natur der Ungewissheit Ebenen der Ungewissheit Ontologische Ebene: Kein Prozess in der Welt ist vollständig gewiss= determiniert, Zukunft ist immer (auch) ungewiss Epistemologische Ebene: Wissen kann – im Gegensatz zu Glaubenssätzen – prinzipiell nicht gewiss sein, Erkenntnis ist fallibel (Popper) bzw. historisch situiert (Adorno, Kuhn) Stochastische bzw. individuelle Ebene: Selbst bei sicherem statistischem Wissen ist das Einzelereignis ungewiss, z.B. radioaktiver Zerfall