Research Ethics of Science Fiction
Instead of trying to convince people what is ethically acceptable and what’s not, fictions spark discussions by asking questions and by demonstrating what might happen in different scenarios, which makes them the perfect option for science ethics education.
BY: JINGSHU HELEN YAO
Recently, I took a course called “Curating Science” for my Museum Studies program. I was expecting to learn about how to organize science center exhibitions and how to promote science among the general public. However, many of the topics were not directly related to scientific knowledge, but rather the social and political issues that come along. Should an exhibition about nuclear power focus on the amazing technology that nuclear energy could provide us, or the potential destruction a nuclear war may bring? Should the potential of cyber insecurity be mentioned in a science center program on artificial intelligence?
What these discussions reminded me of is that even the most objective, pure scientific knowledge is always tangled with humanitarian and philosophical concerns. It is necessary for science education to approach the two aspects at the same time, the wonder of science and the ethics of scientific exploration.
I was confronted with an advertisement while browsing YouTube a few weeks ago. It started with a black screen and a terrifying screaming sound in the background. The screaming, though I wasn’t sure from what animal or for what reason, had given me goosebumps. I almost thought it was a horror movie trailer and was about to skip through it when the caption appeared and explained the scream. It was the recording of the bran owls used in behaviour studies at John Hopkins University. The owls were tied up, with electrodes planted in their brain, and forced to receive sound and visual stimuli for up to 12 hours a day. All of them were killed at the end of the experiment. The advertisement is for the petition to stop such cruelty, which is signed by thousands of people on Chang.org and PETA. This might be the first YouTube ad that I didn’t skip after the 5-second countdown and my memory was haunted by the scream of these owls for the rest of the day (link to the video, please be aware that it can be extremely uncomfortable to watch).
Petition Against JHU Owl Experiment / Photo via Vegworld
Even as an undergraduate student, my research on loanwords recognition required me to submit a research Ethics form and have it approved by the department. At the time, I was somewhat annoyed by the time-consuming process and worried that it may delay my research schedule. However, I realized that the procedure reflects the university’s effort in ensuring the ethics behind studies, preparing and training academics and students to be more mindful and reliable researchers. Meanwhile, it occurs to me that most of the population in a given society, many researchers included, may have not given enough thought to research ethics. Because they are mostly dry rules, they fail to attract interest from people unless they are forced to use them, as in my case doing my undergraduate research. “Curating Science” courses have taught me methods of informal science education, which might be useful in creating interesting ways to educate people about research ethics, through science fiction.
Science Fiction has long been used as a method of discussing different issues of society in creative ways. Different time, space, technology, and events can expand and deepen our thoughts on the current discoveries that exist in our reality.
As one of the long-lasting Sci-fi series since the 1960s, Star Trek explored the new frontier of ethical and philosophical discussions, many of which related to scientific research and medical practices. The most memorable one being the episode “The Measure of a Man” in The Next Generation, which aired in 1989. The plot explored whether a self-conscious android, Lt. Commander Data, is the property of the institution that created him.
The Measure of a Man, The Next Generation (1989) / Photo via Fandom
While research on Data could contribute to the advance of technology, whether it should be given the choice to control its own fate, or be the only machine made by humans and used by humans remains a debate.
The debate centers on what “sentient being” implicates, and whether the purpose of scientific research can justify the damage of the welfare of another being. Both the argument that Data is a machine and an asset of his creator, as well as the argument that he is a sentient being with the freedom to choose are well delivered in the show (Video clips are available on YouTube).
Despite the plot of the episode, they continue to spark discussions among the fanbase and in later episodes of the show. Scientific research that benefited from experiments on inferior beings is the central discussion for the episode “Nothing Human” of Voyager (1995). In order to save the life of a dying crew, the ship’s doctor refers to the research of a famous exobiologist Crell Moset. However, it was later revealed that Moset’s research involved brutal experiments on the species from a less advanced society. The Doctor was torn between saving his patient and using the knowledge gained from unethical research. While in the fictional world, the Doctor was able to find a cure without compromising his ethical standard, the discussion reflected the real-life dilemma researchers might face in their career. This episode is used as discussion material at Oregon State University School of Biological and Population Health course “Science, Ethics and Star Trek.”
Nothing Human, Voyager (1995) / Photo via The M0vie Blog
Another discussion of research ethics that struck me the most was from The Three-Body Problems, the Hugo award-winning novel series by Chinese writer Xinci Liu. To prevent the invasion of alien species Trisolaran is the main plot of the story. In The Dark Forest, the second book of the series, the main character Luo Ji suggested that the universe is just like a dark forest. Any civilization that exposes itself will soon be eliminated by more advanced civilizations out of suspicion. To prove his theory, he broadcasted the location of a random star system 187J3X1 to outer spaces, which led to the destruction of the system. Luo Ji then threatened the Trisolaran by exposing their location and temporarily delayed their invasion. However, years later, humans began to wonder if there were any life forms in 187J3X1. They suspected that Luo Ji may lead to the extinction of an innocent species and charged him with mass murder despite his act which once saved humanity.
Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu / Photo via Amazon
Unlike manuals, regulations, or even essays, fictions do not try to convince people what is ethically acceptable and what is not. They only spark discussions by asking questions and by demonstrating what might happen in different scenarios. What makes them the perfect option for science ethics education is that they help people reach a conclusion by themselves, and continue to question and improve our ideas and beliefs.
