Human Value - Ethics - 5

UNIT V
SCIENTIFIC ETHICS
Transparency and Fairness in scientific pursuits – Scientific inventions for the

betterment of society - Unfair application of scientific inventions – Role and
Responsibility of Scientist in the modern society.
Transparency and Fairness in scientific pursuits
Transparency and fairness are crucial components in scientific pursuits, particularly in

the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Transparency
ensures that the workings of AI systems are comprehensible to humans, providing
explanations for decision-making processes and clarifying the data used for system
training. This principle is essential for maintaining fairness, as it helps identify biases
and ensures that systems operate impartially, treating all stakeholders equally without
favoring any party.
Factors Motivating Transparency and Fairness
Fairness and Accountability: Transparency is critical for ensuring fairness and

accountability in AI systems. It helps uncover decision-making processes, identify
biases, and hold systems accountable for failures.
Ethical Principles: Transparency intersects with ethical principles such as autonomy,

which demands that systems protect individual independence, treat users respectfully,
and secure informed consent.
Open Science Movement: The open science movement emphasizes transparency,

openness, and reproducibility as mechanisms to align scientific practice with
scientific ideals, accelerate scientific discovery, and broaden access to scientific
knowledge.
Challenges and Approaches
Balancing Transparency and Privacy: Ensuring transparency while protecting

individual privacy is a significant challenge. For instance, in the analysis of mental
health data, the difficulty lies in the application of these data rather than pinpointing
user-specific attributes.
Metrics for Assessing Transparency: Metrics such as equal opportunity and

equalized odds are used to evaluate the fairness of AI and ML models.
Computational Methods and Approaches: Strategies for achieving fairness include

data preprocessing, postprocessing, adversarial training, and decision tree use.
Algorithmic transparency can be enhanced through feature importance analysis,
interpretability techniques for models, and the generation of explanations.
Ethical Considerations: Ethical considerations include ensuring that AI systems do

not manifest any unexpected discriminatory practices and that fairness is promoted
through various approaches and techniques.
Conclusion
Transparency and fairness are essential components in scientific pursuits, particularly

in AI and ML. Ensuring transparency helps identify biases, maintain accountability,
and uphold ethical principles. The open science movement emphasizes transparency,
openness, and reproducibility to accelerate scientific discovery and broaden access to
scientific knowledge.
Scientific inventions for the betterment of society
Scientific inventions have played a crucial role in the betterment of society by

addressing various challenges and improving the quality of life. Here are some
significant inventions that have had a profound impact on human society:
Wheel: The wheel is often considered the most important invention in human history.
It has been used for efficient and faster transportation of goods, and its impact can be
seen in the development of various technologies that rely on it.
Printing Press: The printing press, invented by Johann Gutenberg in the 15th century,
revolutionized the spread of knowledge and ideas. It enabled mass production of
books, making information more accessible and contributing to the Renaissance and
the Enlightenment.
Steam Engine: The steam engine, developed by James Watt in the 18th century,
transformed transportation and machinery. It drove the Industrial Revolution, leading
to significant advancements in manufacturing and the emergence of new industries.
Telephone: The telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the late 19th
century, revolutionized communication. It enabled people to connect with each other
instantly, regardless of geographical distance.
Antibiotics: The discovery of antibiotics, such as penicillin, has saved countless lives
by preventing the growth of harmful bacteria. This medical breakthrough has had a
profound impact on public health.
Automobile: The automobile, invented by Karl Benz in the late 19th century, has
changed the way people live and travel. It has also had significant effects on urban
planning and infrastructure.
Electricity: Electricity has become an essential part of modern life, powering homes,
industries, and transportation systems. Its impact on society has been immense, from
lighting homes to enabling the widespread use of appliances and devices.
Integrated Circuit: The integrated circuit, also known as the microchip, has enabled
the development of modern electronics. It powers devices such as smartphones,
computers, and other electronic appliances that are now ubiquitous in daily life.
Television: The invention of television has enabled the widespread dissemination of

information, entertainment, and news. It has also played a significant role in shaping
global culture and politics.
Personal Computer: The personal computer, popularized by the Apple II in the late
20th century, has enabled widespread access to information and has transformed the
way people work, communicate, and live.
These inventions have collectively contributed to significant advancements in various

aspects of society, including communication, transportation, healthcare, and
technology.
Unfair application of scientific inventions
The unfair application of scientific inventions can have significant negative

consequences for society. Here are a few examples:
Unequal compensation for academic inventors:

In academia, scientists who drive discoveries and are recognized as inventors on
patents often see little economic gain from their innovations. Instead, royalties are
primarily assigned to their home institutions, while the scientists themselves receive
only a small percentage of the royalties.
Bias and discrimination in AI systems:
AI models can manifest unexpected discriminatory practices and exhibit bias towards
certain ethnicities, genders, or disabled people. For instance, an algorithm used to find
recidivism scores for sentencing in the USA was found to be biased towards Black
defendants.
Restrictive patents and slowed progress:
While patents are designed to promote innovation by providing inventors with a
limited monopoly, overly restrictive patents can slow down progress. Clever inventors
may find ways to invent around patents, but bad patents that slip through can be
challenged and invalidated.
Inequality in science:
The history of the scientific enterprise demonstrates that it has supported gender,
identity, and racial inequity. Unfair practices such as cronyism in granting research
funding and rewards based on reputation rather than merit can perpetuate these
inequalities.
Negative impact on user experience:
Biased AI models can have a detrimental impact on user experience, leading to a loss
of trust in the systems.
To address these issues, it is crucial to ensure fairness and transparency in the
application of scientific inventions. This includes equitably compensating academic
inventors, mitigating bias in AI systems, promoting open competition and merit-based
rewards in science, and adhering to ethical guidelines when developing and deploying
AI models
Role and Responsibility of Scientist in the modern society.
The role and responsibility of scientists in modern society are multifaceted and
involve several key aspects:
Public Policy and Education:
Scientists are increasingly called upon to contribute to public policy and educate the
public about the content and processes of science. They must relate scientific
knowledge to society in a way that members of the public can make informed
decisions about the relevance of research.
Professionalism and Integrity:
Scientists have a responsibility to uphold the core values of their profession, including
honesty, skepticism, fairness, collegiality, and openness. These values are essential
for the advancement of scientific knowledge and its social benefits.
Integration with Society:
Scientists must recognize that their work can have significant societal consequences
and be prepared to address the questions that arise from their discoveries. They should
participate in public forums and help develop a consensus of informed judgment that
can be disseminated to the public.
Global Unity and Cooperation:
Scientists from around the world must work together to establish common goals and
priorities. This unity is crucial for the advancement of science and its applications in
society.
Objectivity and Information Provision:
Scientists have an obligation to provide objective information and assessments of
evidence, even when it may not align with the norms of the policy process. This
approach helps build credibility and trust in scientific findings.
Societal Decision Making:
Scientists must recognize that societal choices involve both objective information and
subjective value judgments. They should engage in civic discussions and provide
information to support informed decision making, while maintaining their objectivity.
Popularization of Science:
Public understanding and engagement with science are essential for citizens to make
informed decisions. Governments and citizens must understand the science behind
major global challenges and become scientifically literate to address sustainable
development issues.
Basic and Applied Science:
Both basic and applied science are important for the advancement of knowledge and
its applications. Basic science provides the foundation for applied science, and both
are necessary for solving practical problems.
Indigenous Ways of Knowing:
Scientists must recognize and respect Indigenous ways of knowing about the natural
world, which can complement the scientific process and contribute to a more
comprehensive understanding of the world.
Responsibility to Society:
Scientists have a responsibility to society to ensure that their work is used for the
betterment of society and not for personal gain or to perpetuate biases. They must be
transparent and accountable in their research and its applications

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UNIT V

Transparency and Fairness in scientific pursuits – Scientific inventions for the

Transparency and Fairness in scientific pursuits

Transparency and fairness are crucial components in scientific pursuits, particularly in

Factors Motivating Transparency and Fairness

Fairness and Accountability: Transparency is critical for ensuring fairness and

Ethical Principles: Transparency intersects with ethical principles such as autonomy,

Open Science Movement: The open science movement emphasizes transparency,

Challenges and Approaches

Balancing Transparency and Privacy: Ensuring transparency while protecting

Metrics for Assessing Transparency: Metrics such as equal opportunity and

Computational Methods and Approaches: Strategies for achieving fairness include

Ethical Considerations: Ethical considerations include ensuring that AI systems do

Transparency and fairness are essential components in scientific pursuits, particularly

Scientific inventions for the betterment of society

Scientific inventions have played a crucial role in the betterment of society by

Television: The invention of television has enabled the widespread dissemination of

These inventions have collectively contributed to significant advancements in various

The unfair application of scientific inventions can have significant negative

Unequal compensation for academic inventors:

Role and Responsibility of Scientist in the modern society.

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