Organizations and Values in Science and Technology

Abstract

This paper articulates a conceptual framework for examining philosophical issues such as the role of values in science at an organizational level. It distinguishes between three dimensions of organizations - organizational aims, organizational structure, and organizational culture - and it examines how these dimensions relate to values in research and development, with a focus on machine learning systems for predictive policing. This framework can be fruitful in identifying interesting and understudied philosophical problems - including those involving inter-organizational divisions of labor - that might otherwise be difficult to conceptualize.