Year: 2024
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Safeguarding the integrity of scientific knowledge from the possible distortions motivated by non-epistemic values (e.g. social, political, and commercial values) is a crucial component of safeguarding research integrity. According to the traditional value-free ideal of science in order to maintain integrity non-epistemic values should not be given any role in the core of scientific research. However, this ideal has received much criticism from philosophers who have shown that many research activities are inevitably value-laden. At the same time, the value-free ideal can still count on several supporters arguing that though science might not be completely value-free the ideal is one worth striving for to maximize the integrity of research. Despite the overlap of themes, concerns, and aims, there has been so far only little interaction between philosophical discussion on science and values and the development of and research on research integrity policies. This is unfortunate as collaboration would benefit both fields, by improving our knowledge and understanding of science and its ethics. Furthermore, the insights produced by this collaboration can inform and potentially improve science policy on research integrity. The general objective of this PhD thesis is to investigate with empirical-qualitative methods and philosophical analysis the interactions between values and science, how these interactions are currently regulated, and how they should be regulated in codes of conduct for research integrity. Thus, my central research question is: how should the interactions between values and science be treated in codes of conduct for research integrity? In particular, I focus on whether research integrity codes of conduct should promote some form of value-freedom of scientific research. Two main lines of research are produced: empirical-qualitative research aimed at mapping, documenting, and understanding current states of affairs; and normative research aimed at improving research integrity policies on the basis of the results of the first line of research and further philosophical analysis. The thesis starts with the empirical research. First, non-epistemic reasons for and against endorsing the value-free ideal of science in codes of conduct for research integrity are identified via a review of the literature (Chapter 2). The reasons thus collected can help drafters of future codes of conduct decide what stance to take on the role that non-epistemic values can play in science. Second, the current stance underpinning codes of conduct for research integrity is investigated through a content analysis of national codes for research integrity of different European countries (Chapter 3). This study shows how a clear stance is often missing and that codes contain tensions between positions similar to the value-free ideal and requests for researchers to incorporate and be guided by societal values. Then, the attitudes of the researchers themselves are mapped via a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews (Chapter 4). The thematic analysis of the interviews shows how researchers hold complex views on the interactions between values and science, recognize the beneficial epistemic effect of some social values like diversity, and yet hold onto some form of value-free ideal as a professional norm. The normative analysis part of this PhD opens with a commentary piece reflecting on how recent science policy has moved away from the ideal of science as value-free, now expecting researchers to incorporate pro-social considerations in their work (Chapter 5). If these are the new expectations placed on scientific researchers, then researchers should receive appropriate guidance to avoid the possible risks of incorporating non-epistemic values in science. The tensions and lack of a clear position identified in codes of European countries (Chapter 2) as well as in a selection of non-European documents analyzed for this commentary show how current guidance on the incorporation of values in science is insufficient and ambiguous. Thus, future codes of conduct should provide guidance on the trade-offs between the epistemic aims of science and the values of society, by drawing the attention of researchers to these issues, making sure they properly construe these issues, and that the motivation behind policy aimed at incorporation societal values in science are clear and shared. The thesis concludes with a general discussion in the form of a philosophical analysis of the new version of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, highlighting some problematic aspects thereof (Chapter 6). While Chapter 5 calls for incorporating guidance on values in science in light of the evolving expectations placed on scientists, here a similar argument is made based on more general philosophical considerations (i.e. inductive risk makes value judgment unavoidable) and on the broad scope of codes of conduct (i.e. even if some research activities could be fully value-free, other research activities falling in the scope of codes of conduct like translational research are certainly not). Accordingly, three desiderata are formulated for codes of conduct to properly treat the topic of values in science: codes of conduct should fully acknowledge the influence of values in science; they should be more precise in describing illegitimate influence; and they should disentangle talk of academic freedom from talk of breaches of research integrity. After documenting the evolution of this topic through the three editions of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the three desiderata are applied and a revision of the Preamble of the Code is proposed.
Source: Lirias
Author: Ambrosj, Jacopo
Institutions: University of Antwerp, KU Leuven
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
OpenAlex ID: W7044076600
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