4.2 Applied ethics

Applied ethics is a very complex endeavour that involves combining theoretical reflections on ethics with practical questions of orientation. Basic concepts and principles of ethics as well as the inner quality of a moral action (morality) are reflected in the context of given circumstances. They are linked with specific questions and requirements of human practice in such a way that a specific form of "own" ethics can emerge in an applied setting. Underlying this is an increasing lack of orientation in modern societies. "Over long stretches of the history of ethics there has been a great consistency with regard to concrete assessments of good behaviour". However, this is no longer the case today due to the speed and dynamics of social and technical developments.

Procedures for the advisory support of political decision-making and the creation of social consensus are also frequently labelled as ethical. A prominent example of this is the German Ethics Council, which is appointed by both the German Bundestag and the Federal Government.

The mandate of the German Ethics Council is defined in §2 EthRG (Ethics Council Act) as follows:

Cita­tion

From: Gesetz zur Einrichtung des Deutschen Ethikrats (2007) Et07, authors‘ translation Original Quote

The German Ethics Council shall monitor the ethical, social, scientific, medical and legal issues and the likely consequences for individuals and society that arise in connection with research and developments, particularly in the field of life sciences and their application to humans.

According to its own terming, the German Ethics Council deals "with the great questions of life. With its opinions and recommendations, it provides orientation for society and politics."1 (ethikrat.org)

With regard to the advisory and orientation function of ethics councils or ethics committees, ethics can also be understood as an initiative at the interface between science and society. This gives it a kind of political function. After all, politics is not least about balancing the different interests pursued by different actors with different levels of power. It is true that the core business of ethics is the critical scrutiny of moral arguments and demands. However, the more it contributes to the formation of public opinion and the creation of societal consensus, the more it enters the original realm of politics.

The German Ethics Council also deals with topics that can affect the mining industry. One such subjects is societies’ challenges regarding climate change and climate justice. For instance, the council advices that “further growth of consumption and resource use in industrialised countries” (Deutscher Ethikrat 2024: 10) has to be critically assessed with regard to the global south and that “alternatives” have to be found for the “exhaustion of resources” (ibid:15). Further the sector is important in “the development of technologies to achieve ‘negative emissions’“ (ibid: 15). Not least, this is also about people's current way of life, which is challenged by the combination of the world’s resources, its changing climate and modern technologies. From a profound perspective, it is about nothing less than human dignity, which must be recognised and protected under these conditions.

The close interweaving of normative questions with findings and experiences from certain contexts of human interaction does not only increase the content-related complexity of applied ethical reflection. It also leads to a pluralisation of the ethical approaches and basic attitudes of actors concerned. After all, ethics councils or committees are not homogeneous groups, but are made up of experts from interdisciplinary fields and professions. This makes it difficult, if not impossible in principle, to impose a single moral principle from theoretical ethics that could then be applied to a specific case. Instead, consensus is of particular importance.

Especially when it comes to fundamental convictions, i.e. principles, consensus building is generally not possible without friction. Therefore, consensus is necessarily preceded by discourse. These involve illuminating and analysing ethical problems that have a highly practical relevance. In disputes between conflicting principles, fundamental values clash that are sometimes irreconcilable.

Example

Take, for example, current discussions about active euthanasia on demand, as exemplified in the feature film "Playing God" [Sc20b] based on Ferdinand von Schirach. It presents the case of a 78-year-old healthy man's wish to die before the German Ethics Council.