[Originally posted 5/15/2007]
Part of ASA's policy is a commitment to integrity in science. What does that mean? Is it any different than integrity in our daily lives? Yes and no. The American Heritage Dictionary has three definitions for "integrity":
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.
The first meaning is the one that applies in this context. In some ways the word is synonynous with "honesty." In science the connotation is to fairly and conscientiously apply the normal standards of scientific methodology to the issue at hand. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on the perspective), there is no definitive rulebook that outlines scientific methodology. There is no single precise methodology to which all scientific endeavor must adhere. But there are established practices which characterize science. It is part of scientific training to learn the relevant methods for a particular discipline.
A common issue for Christians is in fields where the scientific results appear to conflict with common ideas or deductions from the Bible. It is not unusual in those cases to find skepticism about the science itself. Being a skeptic in science isn't a matter of just saying "I don't believe it" or citing technobabble that dazzles the non-expert into thinking there is serious scientific debate. Legitimate skepticism needs to go through scientific methodology as well. It needs to be published in peer-reviewed technical literature, corroborated by independent laboratories and accepted or addressed by the relevant technical community. It's a tall order but until those hurdles are cleared, the skepticism is merely a proposed idea.
In this category during the next few weeks we'll explore a few examples of what it means to have integrity in science.