UNDERSTANDING COUPLED ETHICAL-EPISTEMIC ISSUES RELEVANT TO CLIMATE MODELING AND DECISION SUPPORT SCIENCE

The aim of this chapter is to demonstrate that values are a component of all aspects of scientific practice and, as such, scientific integrity requires that scientists be able to identify and analyze the role and impact of values both within research as well as in decision-support science. Coupled ethicalepistemic values are introduced in order to clarify their role in scientific practice as well as to provide a framework for critical reflection on value choices. The first section examines the ways epistemic values are embedded in scientific practice and illustrates that these epistemic choices and the values that undergird them can have important and currently underappreciated ethical import. The second section concerns the role of values in the domain of the broader impacts of scientific research and in particular impacts on decision support. Providing decision makers with the knowledge they need to make responsible decisions often requires attention to coupled ethicalepistemic values. The conclusion of the chapter is that training in coupled ethical-epistemic analysis adds an important dimension to scientific integrity education often missing in more traditional approaches.