Ethical Problems of the Sociologists Profession. Polish Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The sociologists professional ethics defines the rules of the sociologists professional activities. Observing moral standards is an expression of care not only for the sociologists common good, but also for the society common good as the society is examined by the sociologists and the society uses and benefits from the research results. Society expects that sociologists will be highly qualified, will perfect their skills and improve their expertise as well as keep high ethical standards. The basic duty of every sociologist is not to harm the participants, but to protect their rights, interests, sensitivity and privacy. Coming across different people and social groups, a sociologist should rely on ethical rules as they guarantee the observance of civil and human rights. The researchers cannot use their authority to support particular people, political parties or groups, because such researchers will be seen as uncritical apologists of particular groups of power or interest. Sociologists who conduct research are under an obligation to carry it out in a way that does not raise either reservations or suspicions of impartiality. Only solid research conducted by reliable sociologists deserve to be acknowledged, and if such sociologists opinions are unbiased, they will be accepted and positively appraised. The article is an analysis of the subcject with using available literature.JEL Classification: Z1Keywords: sociology, ethical problems, research, polish perspective, profession.IntroductionContemporary sociological studies are utilitarian, as a matter of fact, because many people and institutions use information collected by the sociologists during empirical research. The ways this knowledge is used are of dual character. Some results serve the public welfare, especially solving difficult social problems, while other serve particular purposes by methods of social engineering. Gaining knowledge about a society becomes a very important and responsible task, so social research should be based on specific ethical standards.The range of a sociologist interests is wide and diverse. It includes various social processes, groups and communities, organizations, society institutions etc. A sociologist tries to decipher relations and connections between people, and is also interested in the activities of social instititutions. Studying a social sciences makes student able to determine their status and the dynamics of change as well as propose effective methods of obviating irregularities which may hamper the society's functioning. In a way, a sociologist becomes a society's physician, examining the society and social phenomena, and diagnosing social problems that have to be solved.Obviously, a sociologist interest in a society and direct contact with another participants of society requires observing high professional standards. Both the professional prestige and scientific value of their research depend on it. The broad range of research problems investigated by the sociologists affects the complexity and intricacy of ethical dilemmas stemming from the profession's specificity.The fundamental aim of this paper is to present selected ethical problems of the sociologists profession. Hitherto, the professional literature has not noted a comprehensive monograph on the axiology of a sociologist work. However, in various publications, there are references to ethical issues which apply to sociological research conducting.Contemporary sociological discussion develops toward the analysis of ethical issues with the interface of new media and social engineering. The development of new technology also allows the researcher to explore previously unknown issues. Interesting from the point of view of the researcher is to understand the principles of social science understood as the relationship between IT in the communication process and social world. In the process of investigation of this phenomenon on the one hand research interest is the impact of IT in communication for social and psychological changes among the people that use them. …