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Lee Brandt October 23, 2015

Varying Shades of Grey: An Analysis of off!ann"s Shade #heory

$n one"s o%n %orld of tho&ght, !&ch !ight see! blac' and %hite, b&t in reality, (ary rarely does

)&re good or )&re e(il e*ist+ &ch of one"s decisions fall into %hat is 'no%n as a -Grey area.+ /hile !a'ing

good decisions %o&ld be !&ch easier if this gray area %ere defined, it is not and th&s one"s )ersonal ethics

!&st %eigh the benefits and conse&ences of any decision+ o%e(er e(en considering )ersonal ethics one

can still do and create e(il+ $t is this this lac' of definition, the ethical gray in %hich one !a'es decisions,

that oald off!ann, obel La&reate )rofessor of he!istry at ornell %arns of in his A!erican he!ical

Society editorial, -ind #he Shade.+ /ithin it, off!ann atte!)ts to de(elo) an idea as to %hy little in

science clearly falls into good or e(il+

off!ann states, -4ach of &s had a role in the &se of che!icals+ #hat &se does i!!ense good+

And &st so!eti!es does har! to )eo)le or )ro)erty+ 4(en tho&gh !olec&les are !olec&les, not in and of

the!sel(es good or e(il+. e arg&es that rarely do scientists e(er ai! for deeds of e(il b&t these deeds are

the reality of -gray. decisions+ One"s intent in science !ay not be for e(il b&t e(en the tiniest decisions can

hold great conse&ences and re&ire consideration on the greatest de)th+ off!ann cites the idea of

selecti(e shading, or the selection of s!all, see!ingly har!less, gray actions of e(il for the idea of greater

good+ #he si!)le action of o(erloo'ing the res&lt that hints, e(en if e(er so slightly, at a side effect of a dr&g

see!s innocent %hen it is sol(ent and nothing is concrete+ o%e(er, the c&!&lati(e effects of this selecti(e

shading ca&se great e(il to e*ist+

#hese ty)e of see!ingly insignificant gray decisions are also !ade on the s!all reection of

res)onsibility b&t scale these decisions &) s&ch as the !ass )rod&ction of a s&bstance and the !oral

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res)onsibility is (ast+ off!an e*a!ines the !an&fact&ring of 6y'lon B, a Ger!an )esticide &sed in the

oloca&st as a gaseo&s agent in concentration ca!)s+ /hile the )rod&cers of this collection !olec&les

!ay hold no legal res)onsibility for the acts of e(il their )rod&ct created, they enabled the !&rder of

!illions and !oral res)onsibility is s&bstanti(e+ o%e(er, the consideration of ethical res)onsibility for

e(ery action sho&ld not fall solely on the )rod&cer of a che!ical+ 7or doing so off!ann arg&es,

-constr&cts a g&ilt8ridden %orld %here )eo)le are to be conde!ned, by others or the!sel(es, for innocent

creation.

/hile this %orld needs no !ore so&rces of g&ilt, in che!istry one !&st %eigh the ethical

conse&ences+ 4(en the s!allest decisions are real and th&s re&ire as !&ch ethical consideration as any

other+ off!ann ends arg&!ent of shade theory %ith the state!ent -/e sho&ld be gratef&l that %e are

)resented %ith choices that only h&!an beings can !a'e+. Society sho&ld be gratef&l that h&!an"s !a'e

choices and not other ani!als, beca&se h&!ans, tho&gh also as the decisions they !a'e, ha(e ethics+ is

hy)othesis is (alid in !any as)ects ho%e(er one fa&lt is fo&nd+ 4thics, in itself, is a!big&o&s, beca&se

certain right and %rong tr&ly don"t e*ist, &st the constant stri(e to do one or the other %ithin a %orld of

(arying shades of grey+ 4thics arg&es that a lie is a lie b&t the !oral effects of the lie (ary+ onsider the

constr&ct of a %hite lie+ $t is a lie that a))arently holds little to no detri!ent to its benefits, ho%e(er the

)roble! is the lies stac'ing &), %hich leads to catastro)he+ 9nli'e reactions in a )erfect %orld, s&ch as a

che!istry )roble!, an action in the grey in al%ays has !&lti)le )rod&cts+ #he real )roble! %ith ethics is

co!)art!entaliation+ #he act of se)arating decisions into categories fails to consider that a they all affect

one"s ethics+ B&t to co&nter this fa&lt, one !&st consider that ethics is not so!ething that can be !eas&red

beca&se each )erson"s ethics is &ni&e and contain infinite (ariables, th&s the off!ann"s shade theory

!ay be !ore of a %arning of ethical fa&lts in science than a hy)othesis+ &!an"s co!)le*ity is %hat

creates ethical b&t is also %hat creates the constr&ct of grey rather than an ideal blac' and %hite+