Mathematics and Ethics

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal, Dec 1990

By Reuben Hersh, Published on 05/01/90

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Mathematics and Ethics

Davis, C.• ~Frorn an Exile: in The New professors. RD. Bowen, ed . New York: Hott, Rinehart. Winston Mathematics and Ethics Reuben Hersh 0 1 2 3 4 0 University of New Mexico , USA 1 (7] Heims , S.J., John yon Neumann ancl Norbert Wiener, Cambridge, M.I.T. Press, 1980 2 [6) Graham , Loren R., Belween Science 3 [5] Freiman , G.A. 4 (8) Koblitz, N, "Matternatcs as Propaqanda," in MathematiCs Tomorrow , 111-120, Lynn Arthur Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj Part of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons, and the Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation - Article 9 I want to start off by correcting any possible false impression that I'm going totell you what is ethi­ cal. or that I've solved any big problem regarding mathematics andethics,becauseIcertainlyhaven't, and make no such claim. Of course, the next ques­ tion you ask is, why am I standing up here anyhow? II's only because I have thought about the question, andin the process oflhinking about ithave had some ideas which I'd liketo offeryou. The observation that got me started on this was that In many professional fields, there hasbeen lor a while a well established concern with ethics . What that means varies from field to field. But the idea that a professional association of engineers or statisticians might concern itself with ethical behav­ ior in thatfield is notradicalat all. It's a verystandard thing. Often it's done officially by the establishment. Oftenthere are active concerns on the partof special organizations, editorials in journals, and so on. Oneof the firstorganizations01 this type that I had contact with, long before I was a mathemati­ cian, was the Society for Social Responsibility in Science. I'm not sure it still exists. In itsday, the 50's and the 60'S, it was primarily concerned with nuclear arms, nuclear warfare. nuclear destruction of the human race. It consisted largely at physicists, many 01 them Quakers or Quaker sympathizers. They took the position that there was a question of social re­ sponsibility,lor the physicist particularly, whether he shouldbeworking on nuclearweapons.Somepeople refused to work on nuclear weapons, or quit military jobs. Whether you agree with that or not, this was a legitimate issue in the physics community. Another example arose with the environ­ mentalist movement. Barry Commoner, of St. louis, was an outstanding spokesman. This movement in­ volved biologists and also chemists,because chem­ ists do a lot 01 polluting. Not chemists themselves, the things that chemists create. There again, was a question of social responsibility,which is one aspect 01 ethics. I have in my band two actualcodes 01 ethics. One was adopted by the statisticians' society, and the other by the professional engineers' society. These are not so political. They have more to do with proper behaviortoward one's client, ethical issuesof that sort. No doubt you could find other examples. HMN News/eNer #5 For a mathematician, it's natural to ask, how come we don't seem to be concerned about ethical issues or discuss them? It is true, as many of you know, that recently there was a relerendum in the American Mathematics Society. There was a long­ drawn-out political hassle, and in the end seven motions were passed by the membership. The one that is probably most controversial says that the So­ ciety shouldnot involve itse" in helpingthe Star Wars 501 activity to recruitamong A. M. S. members. That issue certainly has ethical implications. But it was a one-time, ad hoc thing, not an indication 01 continu­ ing concern or involvement with ethical issues by mathematicians. In myopinion,the reasonit became a big issue inthe AMSwas that there had alreadyde­ veloped strong opposition to the SOl among physi­ cists and oomputer scientists, both in individual departments and in national organizations. I think that was why some mathematicians felt that we should alsoget involved.Inthe end, after alot of back and forth haggling, the membership approved the anti-SOl motion. So there is an example of an ethical issue that did come before and actually passed the American Math Society. That's not the main thing I want to talk about. I just mention it because some of you might have it on your mind and might remember h. Thething that is striking, yousee, isthat in all the other examples I've given-the biologists' involve­ ment in environmental issues, and the chemists as well, and the physicists in nuclear war, and the stat­ isticians requiring that it you are a good statistician you won't give away your client's data-these are all different, but they have one thing in common. They are all in some way intrinsic to the actual practice of the particularprofession. The physicists aretheones who makethe bombs,the chemists are the oneswho pollute,and soon. WhenI thoughtabout the situation of mathematicians, I found I was oscillating between two different v (...truncated)


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Reuben Hersh. Mathematics and Ethics, Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal, 1990, Volume 1, Issue 5,