The International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (EKUT). Here, researchers follow the concept of an “ethics in the sciences and humanities,” which by its very nature directly addresses the dialogue between the natural sciences, the humanities and the social sciences with regard to ethical questions. Further ethical reflection is understood as an integral part of responsible research and education processes. In this way ethical questions can be determined well in advance, before problematic developments become social issues. Therefore, “ethics in the sciences and humanities” is inevitably interdisciplinary. By the same measure, the ethical discussion is not just to be carried out within the field of academia, but also in contact and collaboration with representatives of politics and society.
Research at the IZEW analyses ethical questions in the areas of education, culture, media/digitalisation, nature and environment. Within the area Ethics and Culture, the IZEW has a broad expertise in the ethics of security, technology development and media/digitalisation. The IZEW is focusing on ethical research and thus is not only generating scientific knowledge but also providing ethics and technology assessments for the fields of security and disaster studies. The research group on security ethics, which includes disaster ethics, is the only one in Europe working on all levels from discussing and generating theoretical concepts to providing practical guidelines.
Within HEIMDALL the IZEW ensures the ethical acceptability, reflects and broadens the social acceptance and analyses the human factors/co-production of the project platform used to counteract natural and man-made disasters in Europe.