Biotechnology and Society, Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands.
J Med Ethics. 2012 Oct;38(10):636-8. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2012-100563. Epub 2012 Jul 4.
The recent proposal by Douglas and Savulescu for an ethics of knowledge provokes a renewed consideration of an enduring issue. Yet, the concept raises significant challenges for procedural and substantive justice. Indeed, the operationalisation of 'an ethics of knowledge' could be as alarming as what it seeks to prevent. While we can acknowledge that there is, and surely always will be, potential for misuse of beneficial science and technology, a contemplated conception of what we ought to not know, devise or disseminate sets before us an enormously complex task. This essay challenges an ethics of knowledge to respond to concerns of procedural and substantive justice. While the concept has a certain appeal, it does not appear to adequately address certain fundamental issues as it is currently presented. Here, the author invites consideration of two primary points: (1) who should decide, based on whose interests? and (2) could such an exercise actually be effective in achieving its goal?
道格拉斯和萨维勒斯最近提出的知识伦理学引发了人们对一个持久问题的重新思考。然而，这个概念给程序正义和实质正义带来了重大挑战。事实上，“知识伦理学”的实施可能和它试图预防的一样令人震惊。虽然我们可以承认，有益的科学技术总是有可能被滥用，但我们应该知道什么、设计什么或传播什么的构想摆在我们面前，这是一项极其复杂的任务。本文挑战了知识伦理学对程序正义和实质正义的关注。虽然这个概念有一定的吸引力，但它似乎并没有充分解决目前提出的某些基本问题。在这里，作者邀请大家考虑两个主要问题：(1) 应该由谁来决定，基于谁的利益？(2) 这样的做法实际上能有效地实现其目标吗？
