Abstract
In this paper I ask whether mathematicians should swear an oath similar to the Hippocratic oath sworn by some medical professionals as a means to foster morally praiseworthy engagement with the ethical dimensions of mathematics. I individuate four dimensions in which mathematics is ethically charged: (1) applying mathematical knowledge to the world can cause harm, (2) participation of mathematicians in morally contentious practices is an ethical issue, (3) mathematics as a social activity faces relevant ethical concerns, (4) mathematical knowledge itself may be ethically charged. I present a conceptual framework for oaths and discuss some empirical results on the effectiveness of oath-taking to foster morally praiseworthy behaviour. My findings suggest that enforcing oath-taking practices in mathematics is not currently a suitable means to foster ethically praiseworthy behaviour amongst mathematicians. Oaths can, however, provide needed edifying narratives about how to act ethically when acting as a mathematician.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1579-1603 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Philosophia (United States) |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 12 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłlodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 883724.
Funding Information:
This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 883724. I would like to thank Brendan Larvor, Caglar Dede, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, Fenner Stanley Tanswell, Hein Duif, Merel Talbi, Silvia Ivani, Solmu Antilla, Thirza Lagewaard, and two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments and suggestions.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Funding
This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłlodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 883724. This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 883724. I would like to thank Brendan Larvor, Caglar Dede, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, Fenner Stanley Tanswell, Hein Duif, Merel Talbi, Silvia Ivani, Solmu Antilla, Thirza Lagewaard, and two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments and suggestions.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Marie Skłlodowska-Curie | |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | |
| H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions | 883724 |
| H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions |
Keywords
- effectiveness of oath-taking
- ethics of mathematics
- Hippocratic oath
- philosophy of mathematical practices
- professional ethics