An empirical exploration of scientists’ social responsibilities

The evolving social contract between science and society has led to increasing calls, inside and outside science, for greater public accountability on the part of scientists and engineers, which has focused more attention on their responsibilities to the larger society. Yet, there is no consensus on what those responsibilities are or should be. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has launched a project to inform global discussions of those responsibilities by gathering data on what scientists and engineers view as their broader responsibilities. Some results from a preliminary questionnaire are presented in this essay along with plans to build on this initial effort.