whowhowho comments on A brief history of ethically concerned scientists - Less Wrong

68 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 09 February 2013 05:50AM

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Comment author: whowhowho 12 February 2013 01:27:03AM 2 points [-]

Only they are not, because you are not forced to do a job just because you have invested in the training --however strange that may seem to Homo Economicus.

Comment author: timtyler 12 February 2013 10:52:13AM *  1 point [-]

Resigning would probably not affect the subjects proposed for funding, the number of other candidates available to do the work, or the eventual outcome. If you are a scientist who is concerned with ethics there are probably lower-hanging fruit that don't involve putting yourself out of work.

Comment author: whowhowho 12 February 2013 11:02:50AM 1 point [-]

If those lower hanging fruit are things like choosing what to research, then those are not "taken out of your hands" as stated in the grandfather.

Comment author: timtyler 12 February 2013 11:49:51AM 0 points [-]

Some of those decisions are taken of scientists hands - since they are made by funding bodies. Scientists don't often get to study what they like, they are frequently constrained by what subjects receive funding. That is what I was referring to.