Ethics

Abstract

In line with the concept proposed by Aristotle (384-322 BC), ethics reflects on the conduct of humans and the criteria with which to evaluate behaviors and choices in order to identify "true good" including the means to achieve this goal. It also addresses the moral duties of humans towards themselves and others, and what is the right thing to do when facing a decision. Regarding the practice of a profession, ethics is the identification of duties and rights that regulate the professional activity (deontology) by members of a social group, who are characterized by the possession of specific technicalscientific knowledge, methods and tools for its application.There are values that the human community accepts as universally representative of individual and social good, because of the universal character of the human species itself, such as honesty, justice, responsibility, respect for life, and the environment. However, depending on the cultural context, and considering time and place, the ways in which values are applied can change.In the end, ethics concerns all humans, without distinction, and especially those who have major scientific, political, and social roles, and who certainly have to face issues of great ethical value. Function and Practice of EthicsEthics is intended to clarify, for a given circumstance, what to do and how to do it, taking into account the consequences of that act. Its function is to guide humans when they need to make a choice by providing a framework of reference values, shared by the social group to which they belong, that can lead to good or to what is most useful to the individual or society.Moral philosophy (i.e., the reflection on how to act rightly to achieve good) attributes the ability to distinguish good from evil, and therefore to make right decisions, to some human faculties, such as reason, conscience, and knowledge, provided these faculties are adequately cultivated. Therefore, university training that includes not only technical-scientific elements, but also ethical aspects of professional practice, becomes crucial for dealing responsibly with issues specific to each disciplinary field.Individual freedom is the fundamental pre-requisite for ethically practicing one's own profession. It allows the intentional action (will) for the pursuit of good and/or profit. So, its absence prejudices the possibility of taking ethical decisions. The analytical tool for assessing and weighing situations and possible decisions in a detailed way is critical thinking, i.e., the aptitude to question a problem in the complexity of its variables, assessing interactions, uncertainties, probabilities of occurrence, but also methods, models, and tools to solve the problem itself.An ethical problem presupposes the existence of a choice between two alternatives, one of which is the best option, taking into account the reference system of social, scientific, economic, and cultural values in which one is acting, assuring an accurate knowledge of the problem to be faced and an

A proposal for a White Paper on Geoethics in Forensic Geology

“…Ethics has a clear purpose, and aims to clarify, for a given set of circumstances, how principles and values should inform appropriate action, considering the consequences of such action. Its function is to offer guiding principles to people when they need to make a choice, by providing a framework of reference values, shared by the social group to which they belong, that can lead to good, or to what is most useful or acceptable to the individual or society (Peppoloni and Di Capua, 2018). Geoethics is a new and rapidly emerging field within geoscience research and practice, which promotes an ethical approach, an ethical way of thinking and a sound way of practicing the geosciences, within the wider context of the social role that geoscientists can play while interacting with colleagues, professional communities, society and the Earth system (Peppoloni et al, 2019).…”

“…For the scientific community the penalty for failure if things go wrong may be that scientists are held legally liable for the consequences of their actions. However, other penalties for failure is a loss of credibility (both for the individual and collectively as the profession), failure of the scientific and cultural role of geoscientists to facilitate society in facing geological problems, and also a loss of rationale for being geoscientists (Peppoloni and Di Capua, 2018).…”

Ethical Dilemmas in Geosciences. We Can Ask, but, Can We Answer?

“…For example, the final decision on the feasibility and implementation of an engineering geology intervention can depend not only on scientific and/or technological considerations, but also on political matters. However, geoscientists must not replace politicians, but "provide all the concrete and exhaustive elements to take a decision as sustainable as possible for that social and environmental system" (Peppoloni and Di Capua, 2017a). So, a geoscientist is ethically forced to properly inform, with no bias, those who are really in charge of the decision-making process.…”

New dilemmas, old problems: advances in data analysis and its geoethical implications in groundwater management

“…According to Peppoloni et al [30], geoscientists have grounded the concept of geoethics based on (1) concern with the individual responsibility of the self and profession in conducting actions in geosciences and (2) analyzing the context and making decisions in the social sphere on issues inherent to geoscience. The theoretical frameworks of geoethics have been analyzed in many scientific publications [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. The most comprehensive definition of geoethics is provided by Di Capua, Peppoloni, and Bobrowsky [29]:…”