ERIC Number: EJ681121
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep
Pages: 20
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-7240
EISSN: N/A
Moral Sensitivity and Its Contribution to the Resolution of Socio-Scientific Issues
Sadler, Troy
Journal of Moral Education, v33 n3 p339-358 Sep 2004
This study explores models of how people perceive moral aspects of socio-scientific issues. Thirty college students participated in interviews during which they discussed their reactions to and resolutions of two genetic engineering issues. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively to produce an emergent taxonomy of moral concerns recognized by the participant. The participants expressed sensitivity to moral aspects including concern and empathy for the well-being of others, an aversion to altering the natural order and slippery slope implications. In arriving at their final resolutions, many participants integrated their moral concerns with non-moral factors. The patterns revealed suggest that moral and non-moral concerns act in concert as they influence socio-scientific decision-making.
Descriptors: Genetics, Empathy, Moral Values, Ethics, Science and Society, Models, Interviews, College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A