Challenging the Scientific Ethic in the Age of Biotechnology

This paper analyzes the extent to which there is an a priori or a situational scientific ethic in play during scientific investigations and studies the extent to which such an ethic would mandate an explanation of the nature and the consequences of these investigations; and, furthermore, whether a co-ordinate responsibility of self-restraint among scientists exists when consequences and foreseeable dangers outweigh the positive values of an investigation. This inquiry is tested within the context of the science and biotechnology of genetics and the great promise they hold for advancing a better, healthier world order.