Research Ethics

What are “ethics?”

What are the sourcesof “ethics?”

Are ethics the same asmorals?

Are ethics absolute?e.g. transculturallyinvariant?

How are ethics and

personal integrity related?

What factors should be considered

when makingethical decisions?

What is a code of ethics?

Do ethical decisionsdemand cost/benefit

or risk/benefit analysis?How much is an animal’s life worth?Does the species of animal matter?What about harm inflicted for the “greater good?”

How are ethics and

personal integrity related?

What special socialobligations (if any)do scientists have?

What special obligations (if any)do mentors haveto their students?

and vice versa?

How open (or guarded)should scientists be with“competing” colleagues?

Rabbi Marc Gellman, Tribune Media Services, God SquadPosted 12/31/2012 at 6:30 pm EST

The largest point I would make to you is that life here on earth requires many compromises with pure morality. Ethics is, after all, the resolution of conflicts between two different and often opposing moral goods.

Since the 1970s, the field of bioethics has grown considerably. While it is true that bioethics today includes medical ethics issues, its originality lies in the fact that it goes much further than the various professional codes of ethics concerned. It entails reflection on societal changes and even on global balances brought about by scientific and technological developments. To the already difficult question posed by life sciences – How far can we go? – other queries must be added concerning the relationship between ethics, science and freedom.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/bioethics/bioethics-and-human-rights/

Bioethics and Human Rights