However, science is not an entitlement program for scientists, demanding society's support. Its purpose instead is to produce citizens capable of operating a Jeffersonian democracy, and also, if possible, of contributing to their own and to the collective economic well-being. There must also be genuine education in science, not just for the scientific elite, but for all the citizens who must form that broad political consensus. Several speakers expressed the view that underscoring the ethical principles and practices upon which research should be based is necessary to bring science back into the fold. Only unethical persons have ethical problems.
Ethics is a matter of common sense and experience.
Lo, who heads the UCSF Medical Ethics Program, maintained that students usually learn more when they think the issues through for themselves, by becoming involved in case studies that mirror ethical dilemmas they may face in their own careers. Another facet of the conference was devoted to the peculiar plight of postdoctoral fellows in the academic system. A panel of four postdocs from local universities talked about the vulnerability of being neither student nor faculty, and hence totally beholden to their professor. Forum conclusions and recommendations covered such topics as institutional responses to misconduct in science, definitions of misconduct, science and the media, the peer review process, the ethics of diversity, improving mentoring, the societal responsibilities of science, and teaching ethics. Nevertheless, peer review has severe problems that need to be investigated and remedied.