Three theories of scientific and technological ethics governance

From the perspective of tension, understand the relationship between science and technology and ethics, and describe ethical governance as the restrictions and constraints of traditional morality on the development of modern science and technology and scientific research activities. It is the trap of the so -called "modern theory", which is both biased and harmful. Science and technology seeks new, realize yourself in invention and creation, and real ethics both traditional and keep pace with the times. Therefore, promoting scientific and technological ethics governance is not only the requirements for scientific and technological progress, but also the expectations of ethical and moral innovation development. Both are important value support for my country's modernization.

Science and technology are the first driving force for human beings to move towards a better life. With the rapid development of science and technology, the ethical issues caused by science and technology have become more and more prominent, and scientific and technological ethical governance has become increasingly the focus of the times. On March 20, 2022, the State issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Ethics of Scientific and Technological Ethics (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), which made a comprehensive system deployment of scientific and technological ethical governance work, marking that Chinese scientific and technological ethical governance has entered a new stage. The "Opinions" pointed out that "scientific and technological ethics is the value concept and behavioral specifications that require scientific research and technological development such as scientific research and technology development, and it is an important guarantee for promoting the healthy development of science and technology." Scientific and technological ethics governance must involve many relationships, ideas and activities. Only in the healthy interaction of ethics and technology can we understand the essence of science and technology ethics. Only by proposing the moral issues and challenges proposed by the development of science and technology can we truly establish and improve multi -party participation in participation The ethical governance mechanism of co -governance, shaping the cultural concept and guarantee mechanism of science and technology.

Tradition and modernity of scientific and technological ethics governance

Some people simply understand the ethics of science and technology as the opposition between ethics and technology, and then describe scientific and technological ethical governance as the constraints of moral norms on the development of science and technology. Indeed, there is an inherent tension between ethics and technology, which is precisely the need for these tension syndrome to become the need for science and technology ethics. First of all, science and technology seeking truth and ethics are not necessarily consistent. Under certain conditions, the truth -seeking activities of science and technology will even hinder the pursuit of ethics from good, and from benefiting human society to harming human well -being. For example, with the rise of the industrial revolution and the rapid development of science and technology, while technology, especially applied technology, has brought more convenient and fast life to humans, it has also brought catastrophic consequences, such as world war, environmental pollution, and Viruses spread, infringement of human rights, etc. It can be said that it is the great development of science and technology that has proposed major moral issues that are related to human survival and dignity, and scientific and technological ethics and its governance have emerged. Secondly, the nature of science and technology lies in the ability to move and break through, the essence of ethics is balanced restrictions. There is a significant difference in value preset between the two, and the goals they are pursuing are not uniform. Finally, in terms of time dimension, ethics is the accumulation of human civilization, the integration of traditional customs and habits, and has a certain historic, traditional, and conservativeness. However, it often needs to break through the previous concepts, ideas, rules, and practice, so as to generate huge uncertainty in cognitive activities, moral life, and social order.

However, seeking truth and goodness is not inevitable. To establish the correct concept of scientific and technological ethics, we must place scientific and technological development and ethical progress in the interactive relationship between tradition and modernization. As a kind of "generation of generations", traditional ethics is indispensable for scientific and technological governance, but as Hills pointed out in "On Tradition", "even if a tradition is deeply won by people, it will be because it is with it. The environment that occurs changes and must be changed. " In other words, the traditional and special nature of ethics must be combined with the modernity and universality of science and technology, and can become the spirit of the present era through creative transformation and innovative development, and it can also be the guarantee of scientific and technological ethical governance. Scientific and technological ethics governance not only needs to be cut with cultural relativity, but also to find a balance between tradition and modernity. "Modernization is the transition process of traditional society to modern society." Therefore, simply understand the relationship between science and technology and ethics from the perspective of tension, and describe scientific and technological ethics as the restrictions and restrictions of traditional morality on the development of modern science and technology and scientific research activities. It is the trap of the so -called "modern theory". Essence Science and technology seeks new, realize yourself in invention and creation, and real ethics both have both traditional and pace with the times. Therefore, promoting scientific and technological ethics governance is not only the requirements for scientific and technological progress, but also the expectations of ethical and moral innovation development. Both are important value support for my country's modernization.

The center and edge of scientific and technological ethics governance

Some people have proposed that scientific and technological ethical governance is just formulating a whole set of moral principles and specifications, and wrap all aspects of scientific and technological development in it, so as to ensure that all scientific and technological activities are "no more momentum." However, this is not only impossible, but it will seriously hinder the innovative research of scientific and technological workers, causing ethics to fall into the fantasy state of self -righteousness. Therefore, when promoting scientific and technological ethical governance, we must consider the core value of scientific and technological ethical governance and the relationship between marginal applications. "Center and Edge" is the theory developed in the 1960s. It is widely used in the fields of economics, sociology, education and other fields. Dependent dependence on the center. However, the author uses this method in another sense to distinguish the priority and urgency in the management of scientific and technological ethics. It is necessary to ensure that the core principles of scientific and technological ethics are not violated, but also should be reserved. Can move innovation and continuously explore the boundaries of scientific and technological ethics. The basic principles of scientific and technological ethics are to enhance human welfare, respect the right to life, adhere to fairness and fairness, rationally control risks, and maintain openness and transparency. This is not only the core of today's scientific and technological ethics governance, but also an insurmountable moral bottom line. It is also the fundamental value of science and technology workers that must be internalized into conscience. In these core values, ensuring human security is the foundation. Safety is the basic needs of human survival and development. As the most important creative activity of human understanding and transformation of nature, one of the motivation for scientific and technological progress comes from the inherent needs of human beings for various security (such as deletion and infringement). However, while technology is transforming nature and the environment, it has also exacerbated the unsaiser of the world. It can even be said that the more developed modern technology is, the more serious and obvious the global risk. In view of this, the United Nations proposed the concept of "human security" in 1994 and expanded human understanding of security from politics, economy, military, etc. to protection of life, health, dignity, etc. The "Opinions" also regards "reasonable control risks" as a basic ethical principle, emphasizing that "scientific and technological activities should be objectively evaluated and cautiously treat the risks of uncertainty and technical applications, strive to avoid and prevent risks that may cause, prevent misuse of scientific and technological results from misuse results. Abuse, avoiding social safety, public safety, biological safety and ecological safety. "

Observing the bottom line of human security does not mean that scientific and technological activities can only be limited to known, visible and measured. The development of science and technology is an important way and means for human beings to pursue a better life, and the realization of science and technology ethics to promote the realization of human beings (Well-Being) and a better life. Therefore, scientific and technological ethics governance also includes encouraging and guiding scientific and technological workers to explore the unknown areas and uncertain objects, expand human understanding of human understanding of the world, grasp the world, and update the ethical attitude towards the world and transforming the world. In the process of realizing modernization, scientific discovery and technological invention promoted the improvement of productivity, creating unprecedented material wealth for human beings, and greatly improved human living standards. In this process, traditional non -valuable activities are valuable, and the past moral norms will be renovated by reinterpretation, incorporating more and more marginal technical activities into the center of ethical thinking.

The development of science and technology is a double -edged sword in history and reality. However, most of the consequences brought by scientific and technological inventions are not the problem of creating itself by scientific and technological inventions, but caused by the unhealthy, irregularity, and non -ethics of its use and application. of. Technology is an important way for human practical activities. The consequences are favorable to the well -being of human beings, which can be good or evil. Therefore, scientific and technological ethics governance is to strengthen the inherent convergence of science and technology and ethics, so that more and more scientific and technological activities contain the value of goodness, and bring together ethics with the core of Marxism "free and comprehensive development" as the core. In the system. As Einstein said, "it is not enough to know how to apply science itself. Caring for people itself should always become the main goal of all technical struggle."

The lag and forward -looking of scientific and technological ethics governance

Some people use ethical theory to interpret scientific and technological ethical governance, and believe that the attributes of scientific and technological ethics are lagging instead of forward -looking. As a standardized application ethics, scientific and technological ethics, the road that follows is nothing more than three standardized ethics, or judging the legitimacy of scientific and technological behaviors based on the principle of (congenital, acquired), or identification based on the consequences of science and technology. Its good and bad attributes, or the association between scientific and technological activities and human character, look at the virtue and evil. In this sense, scientific and technological ethics has an inherent lag, and its judgment, specifications, and guidance functions come from our reflection on what has been or about to occur. However, if you only understand the scientific and technological ethics governance as a judgment of existing activities, it will solve the essence and function of scientific and technological ethics. The pursuit of scientific and technological ethics governance is the unity of lag and forward -looking. It not only makes moral judgment on existing scientific and technological achievements, but also provides ethical foreseeable ethical foreseeable in the future. The former sets a moral boundary for scientific and technological activities, and the latter provides value demonstration for scientific and technological progress. There is no ethical reflection on existing scientific and technological achievements, and there is no moral norms. The ethical reflection on scientific and technological activities is not only to restrict science and technology, but also provides forward -looking guidance for it, so as to better promote scientific and technological progress and development.

The rise of the rise of scientific and technological ethics points to the importance of ethical reflection. Since the 20th century, the rapid progress of science and technology has brought ecological disasters, especially the vicious applications of high -tech achievements in the two World War has caused life to coach charcoal, which directly triggered the vigorous development of scientific and technological ethics. Facing the serious consequences of scientific and technological activities, humans have begun to carry out comprehensive ethical reflection, establish and improve the ethical principles of scientific and technological activities, the moral norms of science and technology workers, the ethical boundary of scientific and technological applications, and the value criticism of scientific and technological power. Ethical reflection not only does not hinder scientific and technological activities, but instead awakens the moral consciousness of maintaining the core principles of the scientific ethics of human well -being. The two sides of technology and its applications indicate that people are limited. But human nature lies in the pursuit of infiniteness, and the desire for "predecessor" and "prophets" will inevitably promote scientific and technological activities pointed to the future. However, human ethics is often lagging behind forward -looking, and the lesson of "Zhuge Liang afterwards" is more than the wisdom of "unknown prophets". Although technology has achieved huge success, as Engels warned, we cannot be too intoxicating to the victory of nature, because every so -called victory is exchanged for the retaliation of human beings. The development of science and technology in the world today is changing. The peaks of our understanding of the universe, world, material, and life are continuously surpassed. Emerging science and technology such as life cloning, gene editing, artificial intelligence, big data, and other moral risks are increasing, and we can accurately foreseen but few. Therefore, to acknowledge the limited nature of human rationality, reflect on the moral risks of scientific and technological activities, the forward -looking vision to avoid similar mistakes, and to protect and guide new scientific and technological activities with ethics is a necessary prerequisite and basic content of scientific and technological ethics governance in the new era. Essence

How can we coordinate the lag and forward -looking of scientific and technological ethics? We may be inspired by the three issues of Kant's thought -provoking. "What can I know?" "What should I do?" "What can I do?" The first question is The human cognitive ability and the material conditions provided by the times define the depth and breadth of our knowledge. Chinese traditional ethics has both the spirit of "knowing not to do" and the commandment of "knowing not to be absent", which can echo it. The second problem is to seek ethical principles and specifications for scientific and technological activities. What we can do is not necessarily what we should do, and the knowledge we can master may not necessarily be applied under the premise that the general ethics principles should be met. Therefore, determining the "should" standard for scientific and technological activities and establishing a scientific and technological worker's consciousness of "should" is an important part of scientific and technological ethical governance. The third problem is the future look for the future on the basis of reflecting on existing scientific and technological achievements. The ancient Greek speech of "knowledge is virtue" is still important today. It not only means the improvement of human freedom in the future exploration and the unknown breakthrough, but also the fate of human beings. Only in the practice of exploring and reflection, seeking new and good for good can we better control technology and make technology be good. As stated in the Opinions: "Scientific and technological activities should adhere to the people -centered development thinking, which is conducive to promoting economic development, social progress, people's livelihood improvement, and ecological environmental protection, continuously enhance people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, and promote humanity. Social peaceful development and sustainable development. "

(The author is a professor at the School of Philosophy of Renmin University of China)

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Yao Xinzhong

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