In this paper, we wish to show how, in the past decades, the relationship between science and ethics became central in scientific practice. Recent questions challenge the commitment of scientific knowledge with an objective view of things and the promotion of happiness. To reflect on such issues, we borrowed the concept of practice, as outlined by the Scottish moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, so as to understand the relation between the questions properly pertaining to scientific knowledge and those linked with the utility of science. By way of conclusion, we think it relevant to stress a current task of scientists, not only that of defending the classic values intrinsic to science, defining its own practice, but also that of considering the vital place occupied by science in our society, thus calling attention to its extrinsic values, which in fact are part of its modus operandi.
Science; Ethics; MacIntyre; Practice