Ethics, truth, and values in political economy research: Implications for entrepreneurship and innovation
Keywords:
Political Economy, Positive Change, Power, Science, SociologyAbstract
Science rests on an ethics of responsibility, which presupposes the autonomy of researchers and their freedom of choice, while holding them accountable for their decisions. Yet, social, moral, and other non-cognitive values inevitably shape scientific practice, not only in matters of research ethics but also in methodological choices and the very selection of problems to be investigated. This raises fundamental questions: if science is permeated by values, can it still be regarded as “neutral” and “autonomous”? This essay argues that values are not a contaminant to be eliminated but an epistemic infrastructure that constitutively shapes rigorous and socially relevant knowledge in political economy and entrepreneurship studies. Moreover, is science truly “impartial” in its cognitive evaluation of results, as a condition for valid knowledge? These questions frame the present reflection. The analysis suggests, in a broad sense, that ethics can be understood as the pursuit of truth, with all the particularities implied by the definition of both truth and values.Downloads
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