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Ethics and research: autonomy and heteronomy in scientific practice

This essay discusses, from the philosophical perspective, ethical dilemmas posed to researchers in developing their scientific practice in the current social scenario, which is marked by a universalized ethical relativism and at the same time is challenged by the demands of ethical legitimacy of the act. On the one hand, researchers face pressure from the world market, a visceral context in which human life takes place today; on the other hand, they are challenged by equally strong demands of a moral nature. The present paper discusses the place of legal normativity in the interface with ethical legitimacy, as well as the relationship of heteronomic determination linked to the logic of hegemonic pragmatism in contemporary social life, with the moral sensibility imposed on scientists. Therefore, it attempts to support the discussions and initiatives that are currently being conducted by the national scientific community with a view to the preparation and formalization of ethical criteria for research practice, particularly in the sphere of the humanities.

Researchers; Tecnical Scientific-production; Educational Research; Ethics


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