Creativity: Ethics and Excellence in Science

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Lexington Books, Sep 15, 2008 - Philosophy - 162 pages
Creativity explores the moral dimensions of creativity in science in a systematic and comprehensive way. A work of applied philosophy, professional ethics, and philosophy of science, the book argues that scientific creativity often constitutes moral creativity_the production of new and morally variable outcomes. At the same time, creative ambitions have a dark side that can lead to professional misconduct and harmful effects on society and the environment. In this work, creativity is generally defined as the development of new and valuable outcomes such as significant truths, illuminating explanations, or useful technological products. Virtue and accompanying ideals are emphasized as a moral framework. Intellectual virtues, such as love of truth, intellectual honesty, and intellectual courage, are themselves moral virtues. Further moral topics concerning scientific creativity are explored: serendipity and its connection with moral luck, the paradoxes of moral motivation, scientific misconduct arising from unbalanced creative ambitions, forbidden knowledge, creative teaching and leadership in science, and the role of scientific creativity in good lives.
 

Contents

Chapter 01 Creativity and Ethics
1
Chapter 02 What Is Creativity?
9
Chapter 03 Intellectual Virtues
25
Chapter 04 Paradoxes of Motivation
39
Chapter 05 Serendipity
51
Chapter 06 Scientific Misconduct
61
Chapter 07 Forbidden Knowledge
75
Chapter 08 Leadership
85
Chapter 09 Teaching
95
Chapter 10 Good Lives
105
Bibliography
115
Index
129
About the Author
135
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Mike W. Martin is professor of philosophy at Chapman University. He is the author of twelve books, including Ethics in Engineering (McGraw-Hill) and Meaningful Work: Rethinking Professional Ethics (Oxford).

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