The University of Notre Dame’s Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values has released Reilly Center Reports, an online collection of essays addressing the ethical, social, legal and policy implications of science and technology.
The short essays are intended for anyone interested in urgent and emerging issues in the ethics and policy of science, engineering and medicine. The Reilly Center Reports are an open-access resource geared to concerned citizens, policymakers, policy advisers, journalists, educators and religious leaders.
The new issue features five essays:
- Retired Maj. Gen. Robert H. Latiff calls attention to the need for greater discussion about the ethical implications of war technologies. He also describes steps taken at Notre Dame to encourage this conversation among students of ROTC, peace studies and engineering, as well as between governmental, industrial and academic sectors. Latiff is an adjunct professor in the Reilly Center and at George Mason University.
- Mark A. Largent provides a historical explanation for parents’ anxieties about vaccinating their children and suggests ways to constructively broach the topic of vaccine policy compliance. Largent is an assistant professor in James Madison College and associate dean in Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University.
- Jessica J. Hellmann considers the need for human interactions to counteract the problems that climate change is causing for ecosystems as well as to act on the advantages that climate change brings. Hellman is an associate professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Biological Sciences.
- Agustin Fuentes explains misconceptions about race, aggression and sex and presents eight take-home messages that help to bust these myths of human nature. Fuentes is an associate professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Anthropology.
- NASA historian Erik M. Conway describes and deconstructs the current state of NASA in political discussions and policy decisions. Conway works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.
The Reilly Center explores conceptual, ethical and policy issues where science and technology intersect with society from different disciplinary perspectives. Its goal is to promote the advancement of science and technology for the common good.
The Reilly Center coordinates various events on campus that encourage interaction and dialogue including the Reilly Center Forum and Ethics Café and recently a conference on Climate Change and the Common Good.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on May 07, 2013.