A common practice in ethics assessment is possible, but we need to pay attention to differences between cultures
The values expressed by a society could play a crucial role in shaping the future of research and innovation. Differences in values shifts research interests toward what a society considers more acceptable and desirable. Value differences between countries influence research priorities and the norms and laws related to the development of research and new technologies. The SATORI project investigated the values related to science, research and innovation in the different countries, including Europe, Asia, North and South America and Africa. The aim was to understand whether the harmonisation of practices of ethics assessment is possible and desirable. The report detailing our research is freely available online: http://satoriproject.eu/media/D3.2-Int-differences-in-ethical-standards.pdf(opens in new window). The SATORI project, comprising 17 partner institutions from 12 countries, conducted more than 230 interviews and reviewed the literature on value systems, international frameworks and regulatory structures related to ethics assessment in research and innovation (R&I). “We expected to see many differences between value systems, and we did find that certain values found stronger support in some countries and cultures than in others. However, we did not find any differences between value systems that would categorically hinder the harmonisation of practices in ethics assessment, which is the final goal of our project”, explains Philip Brey, professor of Philosophy of technology at University of Twente (NL) and coordinator of the SATORI project. He argues that there definitely are significant divergences in values between societies, for example between those whose values are traditional-religious and those that are rational-secular, but that such differences have not been shown in practice to interfere in a major way with the alignment of ethics assessment practices between countries. Democratic practices and corruption were two of the major challenges to a harmonisation of ethics assessment practices. It seems therefore, that challenges to ethics assessment are mainly socio-economical and political. The importance of economic and political stability Most differences between value systems significantly depend on non-moral factors such as a country’s economic development. However, differences between traditional-religious and secular-rational values seem to be more embedded in the moral-cultural background of societies. The SATORI project discovered one of the most significant implications of moral-cultural differences in countries background is the different balance between the individual and the common good. One of the main conclusions of the analysis is that political stability and economic prosperity have major impacts on value systems. “Therefore, the success of a global framework for ethics assessment depends also on political and economic stability”, says Brey. In the light of the results of the research, the report concludes that any common ethical framework should leave room for flexible interpretations of the main principles involved in ethics assessment in research and innovation. About the SATORI Project The SATORI project is a forty-five month project on ethics assessment of research and innovation (R&I) supported by the European Commission through its FP7 funding scheme. The SATORI project aims to support mutual learning about ethics assessment and ethical guidance in different fields, organisations and countries. The project strives to identify best practices, to support harmonisation and shared standards, and to develop common principles, protocols, procedures and methodologies for the ethical assessment of research and innovation in the European Union and beyond. The aim of this substantial research effort is to improve ethical assessment practices and strengthen respect for ethical principles in research and innovation. For more information, please see: http://satoriproject.eu(opens in new window). Most differences between value systems s
Countries
Austria, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, United Kingdom