The Value-Free Ideal of Science

A Useful Fiction? A Review of Non-epistemic Reasons for the Research Integrity Community

authored by

Jacopo Ambrosj, Kris Dierickx, Hugh Desmond

Abstract

Even if the “value-free ideal of science” (VFI) were an unattainable goal, one could ask: can it be a useful fiction, one that is beneficial for the research community and society? This question is particularly crucial for scholars and institutions concerned with research integrity (RI), as one cannot offer normative guidance to researchers without making some assumptions about what ideal scientific research looks like. Despite the insofar little interaction between scholars studying RI and those working on values in science, the overlap of topics and interests make collaboration between the two fields promising for understanding research and its ethics. Here, we identify—for the use of RI scholars—the non-epistemic reasons (societal, political, professional) for and against the VFI considered in the literature. All of these are concerned with the beneficial or detrimental consequences that endorsing the VFI would have on society, policy-making, or the scientific community, with some authors appealing to the same principles to argue for opposite positions. Though most of the reviewed articles do not endorse the VFI, it is generally agreed that some constraints have to be put on the use of non-epistemic values. Disagreement on the utility of the VFI lies both on the different epistemic-descriptive positions taken by different authors, and on the scarcity of relevant empirical studies. Engaging critically with the reasons here identified and more in general with the values in science debate will help the RI community decide whether the VFI should be included in future codes of conduct.

External Organisation(s)

KU Leuven
Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen)

Type

Article

Journal

Science and engineering ethics

Volume

29

ISSN

1353-3452

Publication date

02.2023

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health(social science), Issues, ethics and legal aspects, Health Policy, Management of Technology and Innovation

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-022-00427-9 (Access: Closed)