ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the triangulation of science, ethics and economy. The rise of the governmental role of ethics has coincided with the establishment of a narrative by which ethics constitutes a field relevant to social, economic and political issues related to science and technology. A straightforward explanation of the flourishing of ethical advice on science and technology policy is that it represents a logical reply to rapid progress in research and innovation. One of the main justifications within policy and academia for strengthening the role of ethical review is the need to establish a more intense and open dialogue between science and society. Neoliberalism is clearly implicated in the tightening interlinkage of ethics, science and economy and its underlying governmental logic. Hence, in a context where ethics has become a major depoliticizing device, recalling the fundamental difference between ethics and politics and the relevance of a cultural political economy of science and technology is important.
