Ethically important moments: A pragmatic-dualist research ethics: A pragmatic-dualist research ethics

This article analyses and discusses dilemmas, ambivalences and problematic issuesrelated to research ethics. This is done firstly by making a distinction between proceduralresearch ethics and particularistic research ethics. Such a distinction reflects a theoreticalconstruction and generalization. In practice, there can be a very close correlation betweenthe two types. In the following, the distinction will therefore be used as a starting point forthe presentation of a pragmatic-dualist research ethics. The approach is dualist because itdraws on the presence of two independent, contrasting understandings, which are essen-tially different yet equal aspects of good research ethics; it is pragmatic because thisdualism is structural and institutional by nature, and designed with an eye to what canrealistically and expediently be done in practice. Thus the intention of the article is to bothanalyze and discuss two different understandings of research ethics and simultaneouslyqualify a research ethics that draws on both of these understandings. Furthermore, theintention is to visualize a different understanding of research ethics which others canaddress and elaborate on or qualify. Even at this point, this research ethic can be includedin a catalogue of understandings of ethical research practice an can be exploited in ethicalresearch practice.