Question three.

Whoops, I apologize! If most of y'all haven't noticed, question three and its response hadn't been posted yet. 

- Pham

What criteria should be used in deciding whether data can be legitimately discarded? When a scientist uses his or her "intuition" as the basis for deciding whether to ignore certain data, is the question of the ethics of this action dependent on whether the conclusion reached by the scientist is later proven to be correct?

Although Millikan didn’t fabricate his data, he picked and chose what he wanted to present, which showed that he wasn’t necessarily honest. If the data doesn’t prove one’s original purpose, then he can delete his data. If it doesn’t majorly affect human / animal life or the environment, then the data can be discarded. A scientist’s ethics / morals are always used to determine when to eliminate unnecessary information. 

Questions

1. Does the contradiction between Millikan's unqualified statement that he has published all the oil-drop data and the evidence of unpublished oil-drop measurements in his notebooks prove that he is guilty of unethical scientific behavior? If Millikan had not claimed to have published all the data, would he still be guilty of questionable behavior?

The contradiction between Millikan’s statement that he published all of the oil-drop data and the evidence that not all of Millikan’s data was used from his notebooks does not prove that he is guilty of unethical behavior. This experiment did not affect the health of humans or living things; only oil-drops were used. While Millikan’s behavior was indeed unprofessional, no one was actually harmed in the experiment. Also, Millikan may have had his reasons to not include the data other than just trying to make it look like he did the experiment “the right way.” Rather, if this experiment had concerned the health of other humans or living beings, Millikan’s behavior would have undeniably been considered unethical. If Millikan had not claimed that he published all the data, he would probably not be guilty of questionable behavior because he would have never actually lied about publishing all of his data.

2. Should the fact that Millikan was a highly successful scientist, and that he got the right answer in the controversy about the charge on the electron be a consideration in judging his scientific ethics?

As a scientist, Millikan claims the right to use his “scientific intuition.” He performed the experiment and published his notebooks that revealed all of his results and conclusions. There are certain circumstances when data collected in an experiment may be rejected or disregarded. Millikan used his better judgment to discriminate his data, which is an acceptable practice by scientists. Fortunately, Millikan’s conclusion was correct.

4. Is the intentional manipulation and selection of data in order to falsely prove a scientific premise less of a violation of acceptable ethical standards than the outright fabrication of data?

Millikan’s choice to select the data he would publish is less of a violation of acceptable ethical standards than the outright fabrication of data. It is better that he eliminated some of his trials than if he would have falsely stated results of experiments he never performed. He may have had reasons for eliminating results, such as technical difficulties or natural differences. However, there is no reason for forging information.

Summary of Case

Milikan Case

Fudging, the act of choosing one’s own outcome and not using all of the results is an ethical issue because the “right thing” does not always promote one’s self-interest. This issue can be debated in the Millikan Case. In 1897, J.J. Thompson discovered the electron. This discovery initiated the case, as people were not sure of the charge of electrons because of the accuracy of the results. Robert Millikan was a famous U.S. scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1924 for discovering the charge of the electron. He found this charge by observing the behavior of oil droplets in an electrically charged field. Millikan measured the speed of these droplets, and in his published experiment, Millikan stated that the rise times of these drops were the least common multiple of each other, thus resulting in the charge of the electron. Later examinations of Millikan’s notes proved that Millikan picked and chose what drops to use to prove his experiment right. However, his notebooks have all of the data Millikan used. Some scientists condemn Millikan for his method of choosing data, while others exonerated him because he used “scientific intuition.”


Leah Redwine
Elise Doran
Ashley Pham
Jenny Adair