Great men have the ideas, lesser men make them explode, and the least of men get the trigger. If I have an idea, I still have a choice about developing it. Among Christian faculty the chief problem seems to be lack of faith in doing what God calls us to do. Applied vs theoretical research is not necessarily an ethical question. The Nature of Ethics Ethics is different from law, e.g. ethics can address attitude where law should not.
Ethics is also different from etiquette.
Good or evil is not an expression of personal preference. Values ignorance is not much of an option, values clarification is a helpful first step. Texts will present some options, but don't propose any normative principle or a synthesis of values. There is an ontological priority to the word of God. Much of ethics is done from below, i.e., from our own context and questions.