Intemann Kristen, de Melo-Martín Inmaculada
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Biol Philos. 2010 Jan 6;25(2):203-213. doi: 10.1007/s10539-009-9191-9.
Several have argued that the aims of scientific research are not always independent of social and ethical values. Yet this is often assumed only to have implications for decisions about what is studied, or which research projects are funded, and not for methodological decisions or standards of evidence. Using the case of the recently developed HPV vaccines, we argue that the social aims of research can also play important roles in justifying decisions about (1) how research problems are defined in drug development, (2) evidentiary standards used in testing drug "success", and (3) clinical trial methodology. As a result, attending to the social aims at stake in particular research contexts will produce more rational methodological decisions as well as more socially relevant science.
一些人认为，科学研究的目标并不总是独立于社会和伦理价值观。然而，人们通常认为这仅对有关研究内容或哪些研究项目获得资助的决策有影响，而对方法学决策或证据标准没有影响。以最近研发的人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）疫苗为例，我们认为研究的社会目标在以下决策的合理性论证中也能发挥重要作用：（1）药物研发中如何界定研究问题；（2）测试药物“成功”所采用的证据标准；（3）临床试验方法。因此，关注特定研究背景下所涉及的社会目标，将产生更合理的方法学决策以及更具社会相关性的科学。
