Science and Moral Values

Looks at the effect of moral values on science and the effect of science on moral values. It begins by describing five types of moral assessment. It then applies those five types of assessment to five areas of science. Specifically, it applies utilitarianism to behavior modification, expected utility to recombinant DNA research, rights and duties to experiments on human subjects, justice to eugenic programs, and standards of virtue to the developers of the atomic bomb. The book examines the effect of science on moral values by considering whether scientific explanations of our behavior (primarily in biology and psychology) should reduce our confidence in traditional moral beliefs about our behavior. Also, it considers whether scientific patterns of thinking should be standards for moral patterns of thinking. Suitable for courses in ethics or the philosophy of science.