Exploring Meaning, Ethics, and Human–Technology Experiences in the Lives of Scientists and Technologists

Abstract

Scientific innovation is increasingly recognized not only as a technical process but as a lived human experience shaped by cognition, ethics, and technological interaction. Within the broader field of Science and Technology, understanding how scientists and technologists interpret their engagement with complex systems has become central to advancing both theory and practice. However, despite numerous studies on innovation and productivity, little is known about how researchers experience discovery, ethical tension, and failure as integral components of their professional reality. This study employs a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the meanings that scientists and technologists assign to their experiences of innovation and technological mediation. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twelve participants from diverse scientific domains, with each interview lasting between 60–90 minutes. The analytic process followed a systematic hermeneutic–phenomenological sequence, including (1) holistic reading, (2) thematic line-by-line coding, (3) interpretive clustering of meaning units, and (4) iterative validation of themes through researcher reflexivity. Data were analyzed thematically using an interpretive framework inspired by Heidegger’s being-in-the-world. The results revealed five essential themes—intrinsic motivation, ethical ambiguity, experiential learning through failure, human–technology coexistence, and collective knowledge formation—each reflecting how personal, moral, and cognitive dimensions intertwine in scientific practice. These findings demonstrate that scientific discovery is not merely an intellectual activity but a moral–existential endeavor rooted in meaning-making and reflection. By reframing innovation through the lens of lived experience, this study enriches the understanding of how knowledge, ethics, and emotion coalesce in modern science and technology, offering a foundation for more reflective and human-centered research practices.