Science Seminar Report - Context

"Science does not operate in a vacuum"

Science is an integral and public part of today’s society. New scientific discoveries and developments are occurring on a daily basis and often have, or promise to have, dramatic consequences for people’s lives. Science is creeping into politics and becoming more closely linked with society than ever before, via the media. With this proximity comes responsibility – scientists are increasingly more accountable, not only for how they conduct their research, but also for how they publicise it.

This was the backdrop for the second Science Seminar jointly organised by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the British Council, with funding from the Science Unit's International Networking for Young Scientists scheme. These meetings are part of the Partnership in Science Programme: the joint programme of The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the British Council, whose aim is to enhance the scientific relationship between Britain and the Netherlands. The theme, Practical Ethics in Research, was broad, encompassing many aspects of the way in which scientists in both the Netherlands and the UK are confronted in their daily lives with ethical issues – whether they are fully aware of these or not. Participants, who were mostly junior researchers, came from across the science spectrum and included philosophers and linguists as well as researchers from the areas more traditionally considered to be 'science'. The aim of the meeting was to stimul ate discourse and refl ec tion upon the areas where ethical matters affect science, both in its practice and its dissemination. This was achieved by avoiding the traditional lecturer-audience relationship and instead adopting more interactive discussions, using workshops, feedback sessions and the innovative Science Café, to encourage the involvement of all participants.

"Why do we accept this so easily? To what extent do we look for alternatives? How hard are we trying to change the system?" — Questions raised by participants at the end of the meeting.

Over the two days the topics were split into the broad areas of everyday scientific practice and the interaction between science and the media. The peer review and funding systems were discussed, their potential flaws highlighted, and possible solutions proposed. More fundamental ethical problems were discussed, such as statistical honesty, where one extreme conclusion was that ‘there are lies, dammed lies and amateur statistics’. The pitfalls evident when science is communicated to the general public were also addressed, with the questions of who should do the engaging, and scientific risk and the real world, being addressed. During a pilot session of Science Café the sensitive topic of animal research was discussed and differences between the climate in the UK and Netherlands regarding this topic became apparent.

The meeting succeeded in stimulating a healthy debate on many aspects where ethics and science overlap, and although the fundamentals appeared to be similar between the UK and the Netherlands, it was apparent that a lot could be learned by mutual discourse. The researchers involved will hopefully continue the discussion in their respective institutions and thereby enhance the awareness of the issues from a broader perspective.

For more information on ethics in research, visit the NWO site: www.nwo.nl/themasites (NWO Theme: Ethical and Social Aspects of Reasearch and Innovation)

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