This blog is concerned with Ethics, which I relate to the ability to make informed decisions based on the values we hold, and with its applications to scientific research, engineering and design.
I have been teaching mathematics in various institutions for over a decade, and it is my observation that STEM education focuses on technical content whilst only marginally addressing the context in which the acquired knowledge and the new skills are to be used. The danger then is that no space is left for in depth reflexion, say, on the consequences of developing a particular technology. My argument here is that science and technology students need go beyond the technicalities of their disciplines to discuss their broader context, an effort that would involve contributions from Critical Thinking, Social Sciences, History and Philosophy.
My posts will charter my reflexions on ethical issues and document my forays into the topics listed above. I also intend to investigate current practices, as well as highlight positive initiatives from organisations and businesses. Eventually I hope to showcase how ethical discussions can be fully integrated in STEM education.
I firmly hold that Ethics is about discussions - discussions that as a species, we urgently need to have. Of course, my writing will be coloured by my own set of values, however even if I argue that recycling is necessary and designing weapons a very bad idea, it must be born in mind that ultimately the choice of a course of action remains fully within each individual. My only insistence is that whatever is decided has been given thought.
