ABOUT CONFERENCE

The conference entitled “Science and Responsibility. On the role of values in the sciences” will concern broadly construed topic of moral responsibility in science. During the conference participants are going to reflect together on ethical dimensions of scientific research, as well as on standards, ideals, values and norms, which should be realized by scholars. One of the stressed points during the conference will concern questions about the role of ethical evaluation in analysing scientific research.

Maria Grzegorzewska, the sponsor of the university on which conference is going to be held (in the metaphorical meaning, as the conference is going to take place on line), will be one of the inspirational figures for our conference. One hundred years ago she established State Institute of Special Pedagogy (Państwowy Instytut Pedagogiki Specjalnej), which now is our university called in honour to her. Her activities were a strong statement confirming responsibilities of scientific research and their importance for social life.

Polish higher education system is going through another year of reforms. In the name of international relevance and improving the quality of research this reform changes the ways in which Polish scholars are evaluated, as well as the manner in which financial support for research activities is going to be distributed. In a more general outlook the whole logic of evaluation of scientific research is reconstructed. Polish experience has got international dimension, because it is similar to processes going on all around the world of financialization of scientific institutions, changes in the role of scholars, subjection of research to needs of business and narrowly understood economic development.

The questions concerning responsibility in scientific research will be followed by reflection about shaping of public policy concerning the presence of values, norms and rules important for scientific research, the ways of granting money for scientific institutions, as well as the methods of institutional evaluation. During the conference will be also discussed the idea of common standards concerning different branches of knowledge.

Topics

PROPOSED TOPICS AREAS

The more detailed topics, which we are inviting participants to discuss include, but are not limited to:

a) the role of values in shaping norms in sciencethe role of scholars in shaping standards of teaching and passing on knowledge, the role of mistakes in scientific evaluation and their influence on doubtful practices; ethical standards, which shall be applied to scientific research; the issues concerning political influence on institutional shape of scientific activities; ethical responsibility of scholars and their influence on social life, responsible research and innovation.

b) the values important for scientific discussions - the crisis of debate science; popularity of relativistic conceptions of knowledge and science in philosophy of science and sociology of knowledge; copyrights and patents as examples of limitations of dissemination of knowledge and access to scientific achievements; silencing different opinions by ignoring their existences in scientific debates, living labs and open innovation as examples of spaces engaging different entities in scientific research.

c) the role of humanities and social sciences - standards of efficiency and organizational norms are becoming more important than freedom and autonomy, as well as the ability to critical thinking; the connections between science and the governmental institutions are influencing the level of trust in scholarly institutions; they have also negative impact on democratic processes.

d) financialization of science - negative influence of capitalism on all non-market entities and structures are also leading to changes in autonomy of science, economic language and financial incentives lead to lower standards of scientific quality, as well as to lowering standards of academics working conditions.

The main point of reference of all above mentioned topics remains the role of ethical reflection in understanding scientific research and its standards. We invite to participation the representatives of all scholarly disciplines, whose experience and understanding referred topics will allow for a multidisciplinary comprehension of described issues. The discussion will be concentrated on specific characteristics of different branches of knowledge, normative character of scientific research and the role of values in science.

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