Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-10-06]: It is a matter analyzed before in Harmonia Philosophica. However the rude way in which the new movie “The Bourne Legacy” put it makes me want to state again the obvious. In the movie, a geneticist scientist was actually defending her role as key participant to a CIA top secret project which manipulated human beings into assassins. All she cared for was “science”. She could not participate into the problem. All she wanted was to “do research”. She cannot be accused of anything… And while doing this, she even had to “sacrifice” things (!!!), like “not being able to publish” due to the confidentiality of the program! What a martyr…!Science today tries to convince us that it is above criticism, as a kind of “new religion” we all owe allegiance to it. But this is not right. Everyone must take responsibility for what they do. And scientists today have been left miles behind t others in this task. Caring for “science” does not make you immune from having to be ethical and a responsible person. You are a human being and part of this world. You are not a robot whose goal is just to “publish”…
PS. Oh, by the way. That “I cannot publish” argument mentioned in the movie (to make us sympathize with that stupid woman?) is completely invalid. I have published at “Doctors, Medicine, Horror…” a comprehensive list of publications which were made from doctors of high-esteem universities who actually participated in such inhumane experiments.
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