Why are ethical questions impossible to answer scientifically?

They are influenced by personal views.

They prove to costly to investigate.

They take too long to answer.

They require many types of scientists to answer.

1 answer

Ethical questions are often considered difficult or impossible to answer scientifically primarily because they are influenced by personal views. Here’s a brief explanation for this assertion:

  1. Influence of Personal Views: Ethical questions often involve subjective values, beliefs, and cultural contexts. Different individuals and societies may have varying moral frameworks that shape their views on what is right or wrong. This subjectivity makes it challenging to establish objective scientific measures or answers.

  2. Nature of Ethical Questions: Scientific inquiry relies on empirical evidence, reproducibility, and objective analysis. In contrast, ethical questions often deal with abstract concepts such as justice, rights, and morality, which do not lend themselves to empirical testing in the same way that scientific hypotheses do.

  3. Lack of Consensus: Ethical positions can be highly polarized and can vary widely among groups due to factors such as religion, culture, and personal philosophy. Science typically requires a certain level of consensus or common framework to derive conclusions, which is often lacking in ethical discussions.

While the other options mention practical challenges associated with investigating ethical questions, the fundamental issue lies in their subjective nature and the influence of personal beliefs, which impede the possibility of scientific resolution.