Ethical governance of science and technology aims to prevent the risk of ethical anomie. Photo: duncanandison/TUCHONG

Ethical governance of science and technology refers to the ethical review and inspection of scientific research, technological development, and activities of a similar nature in order to prevent the risk of ethical anomie. The potential for improper development and utilization of science and technology as well as their inherent uncertainty makes ethical governance an essential component of scientific and technological development. Effective ethical governance of science and technology necessitates improving internal mechanisms for multi-stakeholder engagement, complete process operation, and systematic safeguarding.

Multi-stakeholder engagement

Today, the impact of scientific and technological development has extended to everyone worldwide. In fields such as biotechnology and nuclear technology, the slightest negligence could bring the world to destruction. Given the widespread impact and enormous potential risks of scientific and technological activities, multi-stakeholder engagement in ethical review and inspection is increasingly necessary to ensure that society is not exposed to uncontrollable risks due to bias towards certain individuals or interest groups. Relevant government departments, researchers in various fields, and the general public should actively fulfill their respective role.

Relevant government departments play a crucial role in promoting and leading the efforts towards ethical governance of science and technology. They are responsible for designing top-level institutional frameworks, establishing and improving ethical norms and value principles for scientific and technological activities, and setting up ethics committees at various levels to conduct ethical reviews of these activities.

As practitioners of scientific and technological activities, researchers in various fields possess a heightened awareness of the potential ethical risks associated with their work, thus bearing the primary responsibility for ensuring ethical governance. Enhancing their ethical awareness and sense of morality through education and regulation can encourage them to carry out scientific and technological activities in a more responsible and orderly manner.

The general public, as potential victims of various ethical anomie, should play an important role in ethical governance of science and technology. Their enthusiasm and initiative can be increased through public education and guidance. Specialized social organizations for ethical governance of science and technology should be founded to allow the public to engage in ethical review and risk assessment more professionally.

Complete process operation

It is imperative to shift the focus of ethical evaluation and regulation from the mere outcomes of scientific and technological endeavors towards a comprehensive approach that encompasses the entire process of ethical governance of science and technology. This approach should consist of three stages: ethical vision and anticipation prior to the commencement of scientific and technological activities, ethical evaluation and discretion during the process, and ethical review and feedback upon conclusion.

“Exploring various possibilities in a given scenario and envisioning potential benefits and damage of a specific action” before engaging in scientific and technological activities allows for risk prevention and mitigation, which helps preclude the ethical risks of these activities at the source.

Values, principles, and norms can be introduced into scientific and technological activities through ethical analysis and valuation carried out at various stages and levels, thus preventing ethical anomie during the entire process.

The conclusion of an action and its effects serve as the ultimate basis for judging whether, and to what extent, the action is “good” or “bad.” Comprehensive ethical evaluation of scientific and technological activities and multi-value feedback on their outcomes give insight into the various societal impacts of these activities. Preserving the “good” and rejecting of the “bad” enable timely adjustment and improvement of scientific and technological activities, ensuring their consistent alignment with proper values.

Systematic safeguarding

Ethical governance of science and technology concerns a wide range of issues. It involves not only cutting-edge science and technology, but also the influence of powerful interest groups driven by financial motives. Occasionally it is also faced with diverse contradictions and conflicts. It is therefore necessary to underpin ethical governance of science and technology with systematic safeguarding mechanisms, which involve three aspects: a sound ethical governance system, a specialized talent pool, and essential funding for sustaining governance.

A sound ethical governance system encompasses many elements including fundamental ethical principles that scientific and technological activities should comply with, ethical review rules that apply to all these activities, a warning system for ethical risks, as well as accountability and liability systems.

Specialized talent may come from the government, research institutions, or the general public. They should be acquainted with scientific and technological activities, and possess ethical knowledge, thus being capable of objectively analyzing the ethical dimensions of these activities, assessing risks that may be difficult for laypersons to identify, and providing early warnings when necessary.

Essential funding for sustaining governance covers the expenses for a variety of purposes such as raising public awareness of science and technology ethics through publicity campaigns and public education, maintaining the normal operation of ethics committees at all levels, hiring professionals, conducting ethical regulation and review, among others.

These three aspects facilitate the smooth running of ethical governance of science and technology by providing institutional guarantees, intellectual support, and material support respectively.

Diao Long is a professor in the School of Marxism at Taizhou University in Jiangsu Province.

Edited by WANG YOURAN