Sci Eng Ethics (2010) 16:119–133 DOI 10.1007/s11948-009-9158-x O R I G I N A L P A P E R On Genies and Bottles: Scientists’ Moral Responsibility and Dangerous Technology R&D David Koepsell Received: 12 February 2009 / Accepted: 21 July 2009 / Published online: 31 July 2009 The Author(s) 2009. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract The age-old maxim of scientists whose work has resulted in deadly or dangerous technologies is: scientists are not to blame, but rather technologists and politicians must be morally culpable for the uses of science. As new technologies threaten not just populations but species and biospheres, scientists should reassess their moral culpability when researching ﬁelds whose impact may be catastrophic. Looking at real-world examples such as smallpox research and the Australian ‘‘mousepox trick’’, and considering ﬁctional or future technologies like Kurt Vo- nnegut’s ‘‘ice-nine’’ from Cat’s Cradle, and the ‘‘grey goo’’ scenario in nanotech- nology, this paper suggests how ethical principles developed in biomedicine can be adjusted for science in general. An ‘‘extended moral horizon’’ may require looking not just to the effects of research on individual human subjects, but also to effects on humanity as a whole. Moreover, a crude utilitarian calculus can help scientists make moral decisions about which technologies to pursue and disseminate when catas- trophes may result. Finally, institutions should be devised to teach these moral principles to scientists, and require moral education for future funding. Moral responsibility Duty of restraint Keywords Dangerous technology Scientiﬁc ethics Research ethics Introduction You are a scientist, and your ‘‘eureka!’’ moment comes in your dreams. Hastily, you bolt from bed and jot down some initial formulas. You have conceived of a way to D. Koepsell (&) Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands e-mail: d.r.koepsell@tudelft.nl 123