Blog 4

                The second chapter of Dr. Pennock’s book builds upon the notion of virtue theory by presenting the idea of internal and external goods, how those goods relate to science, and the way science has been and can be shaped by which goods a scientist chooses to focus on. Personally, I found the discussion of MacIntyre’s quotes about internal and external goods interesting. It made me think of some kind of operant conditioning that either someone can put someone through or that one can put oneself through. This kind of conditioning or choice between reaching for the internal good of something (the feeling of joy of performing or completing a task) or for the external good (gaining a reward for completing a task) is a choice that we have to face every day, and not just in professional settings. Although, as Dr. Pennock shows later in the chapter, the effect of this choice does play an important role in the efficacy of a professional practice, especially science. Dr. Pennock provides examples of this such as seeking honor vs. honors and noble vs. a Nobel. He further explains how these choices make conflict of interest arise, and from that the barring of scientific discovery. As with anything, a balance needs to be struck between seeking the internal and external good; yet, these days I believe it is becoming increasingly more difficult to do this, especially in such a materialistic society. With fame, riches, patents, and places in history, the internal reward of advancing science is no longer something that is well promoted or cherished. If this was taught in early schools, to value the internal rewards instead of the external ones, people might choose to reach for the internal good of science in the future.