Science and Responsibility
The thematic discussion “Science and Responsibility” is dedicated to the analysis of ethical, institutional, and societal dimensions of scientific knowledge production in contexts of environmental pollution, public health risks, and large-scale harm.
Scientific expertise does not exist in isolation from social structures, political power, or institutional frameworks. Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, scientific knowledge has repeatedly been integrated into systems of governance, industrial expansion, military planning, and administrative decision-making. In many cases, such integration has contributed to environmental degradation, health crises, and long-term harm to civilian populations.
This discussion forum focuses on the responsibility of scientists, experts, and academic institutions in situations where scientific work intersects with processes of environmental destruction, armed conflict, systemic pollution, and state or corporate power. Particular attention is given to historical and contemporary cases in which scientific authority has been mobilized to legitimize harmful practices or to normalize ethically problematic decisions.
Topics addressed within this discussion include, but are not limited to:
– the institutional conditions under which scientific responsibility is diminished or displaced;
– the role of experts and academic communities in authoritarian, technocratic, or militarized systems;
– historical case studies of scientific involvement in environmental and human harm;
– contemporary examples of expert participation in environmentally destructive or socially harmful state policies;
– ethical limits of scientific neutrality and the problem of instrumental cognition.
Contributions to this discussion may take various forms, including research articles, discussion papers, case studies, and editorial commentaries. The forum is not limited to a single volume or publication year and remains open to new contributions as long as the underlying scientific and societal issues remain relevant.
By maintaining this discussion, Pollution and Diseases aims to foster sustained critical reflection on the responsibilities of science in a world where environmental pollution, health risks, and political power are increasingly intertwined.