ETHICS & VALUES
"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless,
and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful."
- Samuel Johnson
"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless,
and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful."
- Samuel Johnson
The 21st century has led individuals to develop new social skills in order to adapt to the myriad of changes characteristic of this era (Sánchez-Paredes and Ñañez-Silva, 2022). But in the context in which we find ourselves, what are we referring to?
We are witnessing the rise of a rapidly evolving scientific discipline: synthetic biology, or Synbio. In this context, the international iGEM Grand Jamboree competition stands out as a crucial initiative for the development of innovative solutions. Through synthetic biology, iGEM promotes the integration of various fields of knowledge, including biology, engineering, communication, and even psychology, to create genetic circuits designed to solve local problems while ensuring that these advancements reach the community.
However, the rapid advance of these technologies, along with the diversity profiles that work in this field, presents a range of ethical challenges. To tackle these issues, our team has opted to develop a code of ethics based in formalist theory.
Formalist theory advocates the establishment of a set of ethical rules or principles to guide individual's behavior (Schminke et al., 2002). In order to ensure that all members of AflaxOFF act ethically towards society and each other, we have formulated a serie of principles that reflect our team's values and our commitment to the society, institutions and our fellow team members.
Nevertheless, because we are dealing with a field that was previously unknown to us, we have decided that our ethical code should embody a certain "critical flexibility." According to Yanchar and Gabbitas (2011), “critical flexibility emphasizes an awareness of background understanding, but construes it as capable of being explicated, critically examined, adjusted in specific contexts, and refined or developed over time to facilitate increasingly flexible and effective design practices.” This dual approach enables us to act with integrity while learning from our mistakes, fostering our growth as competent and respectful individuals in this exciting area of research.
Furthermore, this ethical code includes some of the values that guide our team, such as:
Our main objective is to improve the quality of life for the population through the application of synthetic biology. In addition, we aim to involve society in our work and maintain contact with it in order to be able to carry out the best possible results.
In summary, the interplay of synthetic biology and ethical considerations not only enhances our understanding of the field but also empowers us to contribute positively to society, paving the way for responsible innovation.
Sánchez-Paredes, R. G., & Ñañez-Silva, M. V. (2022). Percepción del trabajo en equipo y de las habilidades sociales en estudiante universitarios. Puriq, 4 e265.
Schminke, M., Wells, D., Peyrefitte, J., & Sebora, T. C. (2002). Leadership and Ethics in Work Groups: A Longitudinal Assessment. Group & Organization Management, 27(2),272-293.
Yanchar, S.C., Gabbitas, B.W. Between eclecticism and orthodoxy in instructional design. Education Tech Research Dev 59, 383-398 (2011).
