"Scientific methods cannot be isolated from their purpose to serve the common good and that of each person in particular". This is what Alberto Vargas, researcher for the Institute for Business and the Humanities, affirmed during the second session of the "Ethics and Society Forum"', organized by the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS). In his talk, the expert reflected on the anthropological crisis of science from the philosophical proposal of Leonardo Polo.

As this researcher explained, the migratory movements, unemployment, suicides or family break-ups are some of the current social phenomena that must be tackled from a new methodological approach of the sciences.

"The scientific method that the empirical and social sciences usually use has demonstrated its limits when facing the proliferation of social and psychological diseases", pointed out Alberto Vargas. The solution, he said, involves interdisciplinarity: It would be beneficial for scientific research to broaden its methods and open itself up to other methods.

Loss of innovation

"When science is limited in this sense it losses innovation: it is not capable of providing answers. There is great material progress but there is no human or personal progress", stated the researcher.

At the same time, the biologist and researcher of the project "Mind-brain",' Fran Güell, emphasized the fact that scientific research has its own method and internal logic.  "If the different types of reductionism -ontological, methodological and epistemological- are taken into consideration, it would be helpful to clarify the agreement made by Vargas", he pointed out.

Alberto I. Vargas has a licentiateship in Political Science and a Master in Public Politics from the Tecnológico de Monterrey (México).  His is currently working on his doctorate in Philosophical Anthropology regarding "The anthropological crisis of the West in Leonardo Polo", at the Instituto Empresa y Humanismo (Institute for Business and the Humanities) de la Universidad de Navarra. His talk falls within the framework of this research project and it is the fruit of three years of interdisciplinary conversations with the biologist and researcher at CIMA, Jon Lecanda. The "Ethics and Society Forum" consists of a series of sessions which tackle questions relative to improving life in common and society, from an ethical perspective as well as judicial theory, economy, political and social philosophy or general social sciences standpoints.

The activity is open to researchers, professors and post graduate students throughout the entire campus. The objective is triple: to be the vehicle that disseminates the work carried out by the ICS among the whole university community, to promote interdisciplinary dialogue and help the ICS researchers to receive feedback from other experts regarding the work they are developing.