Research On Moral Imagination Of Scientific And Technical Personnel

In recent years, technical problems relate to science and technology ethics in major projects appeared constantly, and show the trend of intensified. There are variety of reasons, one of them can not be ignored is the cause of the lack of moral imagination in relevant technical personnel, which are expressed in the specific ways of lacking an ability to imagine how science and technology activities impact on stakeholders in the perspective of morality and ethics; lacking an ability to imagine the risks might brought from science and technology activities in the perspective of morality and ethics; lacking of an ability to imagine the possible solution to deal with ethical problems of science and technology in the perspective of morality and ethics. The study of moral imagination on science and technology personnel, help science and technology personnel to improve their own moral accomplishment and ability, strengthen their consciousness to the consequences of behaviors and their emotional experience, make a "thoughtful" ethical choice in the activities of science and technology in which more and more realistic factors are imagined, in order to reduce the social risk of science and technology activities. The research from these aspects helped to encourage scientific and technological personnel to take the initiative to abide by the principles of science and technology ethics from the organization and the system level, and actively undertake the social responsibility. The cultivation of Moral imagination can make scientific and technological personnel not only regard ethics as a normative force outside from science and technology activities, but also as a kind of inner self-discipline factor, make the creative activities of science and technology on the basis of broadest possible ethical reflections. This research demonstrates a new dimension that the research of ethics of science and technology has not developed, promotes the " empirical turn " in the study of moral imagination, makes the focus of ethics of science and technology turn into to the moral practice in the specific situation.The study adopts the following methods:case analysis, integration of history and logic, and interdisciplinary approach. This paper first establishes the connotation of moral imagination, then carries on a thorough analysis on the basic characteristics of moral imagination of science and technology personnel. Moral imagination of science and technology personnel is an ability of moral imagination developed in the certain situation specific to the influence of science and technology activities on stakeholders, the possible consequence of science and technology activities, the possible solutions for dealing with ethical problems of science and technology. It is similar to the characteristics of the thought experiment, reveals concept conflict in the process of moral imagination, finds the thought crux, and makes reasonable decisions. Moral imagination of science and technology personnel has its own characteristics different from other professions because of the nature of science and technology activities, that is to focus on the uncertainty of consequences of science and technology activities, emphasize "thoughtful consideration", overall think of the reliability of science and technology activity and pursuit all the elements in harmony in science and technology activities.On the basis of clarifying the relation between this study, ethics and psychology, this paper analyzes the important value of moral imagination of scientific and technical personnel to broaden moral cognition, develop moral sensitivity and form ethical consciousness so that they can consciously assume social responsibility, establish moral ideals, concern stakeholders’benefit in science and technology activities. In addition, the moral imagination of scientific and technical personnel has its unique value in reducing scientific and technological risks, promoting the practical effectiveness of ethics, and prompting scientists and engineers to creatively consider the issues of ethics of science and technology and manage moral conflict. This paper discusses the generative mechanism of the moral imagination by scientific and technical personnel from three dimensions:the external conditions, the internal mechanism and the external mechanism. The cognition on the peculiarity of science and technology activities as well as the professional responsibility for scientific and technological work are necessary conditions for the development of moral imagination of scientific and technical personnel. The internal mechanism of the development of moral imagination takes the forms of the unification of "cognition, empathy and volition" which provides continuous internal driving force for the development of moral imagination."Cognition"refers to the cognition to the responsibility of ethics of science and technology, which guidelines the ethics responsibility;"Empathy" refers to the empathy in the science and technology activities, which stimulates the noble moral pursuit of scientists and engineers; However,"Volition" is not limited to the willing or volition, but is an automatic run of the internal cognition that probably realized in the sense of ethics, and the internal experience on the essential character of scientific and technological activities that words cannot express enough. The "volition" concretely manifests as the unification of moral intuition, moral volition and moral ideal, which promotes the moral imagination to transform into practice reason from mental ability. The above three supplement and complement each other. And the improvement of the system of science and technology and the public supervision supplied external guarantee mechanism for the formation of moral imagination of science and technology personnel.The cultivation approach of moral imagination of science and technology personnel is the essence of the study. Based on this, this paper deeply analyzes the roots of lacking of moral imagination of science and technology personnel from the aspects of technology, society, culture and so on, points out some factors in activities of science and technology as the "devaluation" of the purpose, the complexity of the process, the uncertainty of the results and the "decontextualization" in the education, are the reasons lead to the lack of moral imagination of science and technology personnel; some factors as refinement of social division of labor system, different levels of social management, and the ignorance of the ethical dimension of technology assessment, are social reasons that restricted or tied the growth and development of moral imagination of science and technology personnel.Furthermore, the cultural atmosphere of the "instrumental rationality first" as well as the separation between technology and humanity also potentially influences and restricts the moral imagination of science and technology personnel. According to this, this paper puts forward the approach of the unification of "truth, good and beauty", and promotes the moral imagination of science and technology personnel by means of self-cultivation, the guidance of ethic education, and the institutional guarantees so that the moral imagination of science and technology personnel can play a practical role in science and technology activities.