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Ethics is the study of moral values and the principles we use to evaluate actions. Ethical concerns can sometimes stand as a barrier to the development of the arts and the natural sciences. They hinder the process of scientific research and the production of art, preventing us from arriving at knowledge. This raises the knowledge issues of: To what extent do moral values confine the production of knowledge in the arts, and to what extent are the ways of achieving scientific development limited due to ethical concerns? The two main ways of knowing used to produce ethical judgements are reason, the power of the mind to form judgements logically , and emotion, our instinctive feelings . I will explore their applications in various ethical controversies in science and arts as well as the implications of morals in these two areas of knowledge.
Natural sciences are sciences whose methodology is based on the observation of the physical world. Unlike ethics it is a highly empirical discipline. The basic and perhaps only way used to produce knowledge in the scientific world is through inductive reasoning, as the methodology that is usually followed by scientists involves conducting several experiments and making observations, based on which they make logical conclusions. Ethical judgements hinder the methods of acquiring knowledge through scientific development. Several methods require the interaction with animals, which could end up being harmful for them. Moral codes and values oppose to such situations and therefore encourage us to raise concerns every time there is a potential for scientific research involving animal experimentation. As I learned in my IB Biology course, Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of organs from animals,...
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Works Cited
"Liquidising Goldfish 'not a Crime'" BBC News. May 19, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3040891.stm.
Nicholl, David. "Lundbeck and Pentobarbital: Pharma Takes a Stand." The Guardian, July 1, 2011. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jul/01/pentobarbital-lundbeck-execution-drug.
Oxford Dictionaries. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/emotion.
Oxford Dictionaries. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/reason.
"Pharma Firm Lundbeck Wins Ethical Award for Stopping Use of Drugs in Executions." Reprieve. March 29, 2012. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_03_29_lundbeck_ethical_award/.
"Xenotransplantation – Ethical Considerations Based on Human and Societal Perspectives." Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. March 31, 2004. http://www.actavetscand.com/content/45/S1/S65.
Dr. John Abramson’s book Overdosed America debunks the myths about the excellence of American medicine. Abramson backs up this claim by closely examining research about medicine, closely examining the unpublished details submitted by drug manufacturers to the FDA, and discovering that the unpublished data does not coincide with the claims made about the safety and effectiveness of commonly used medicines. Abramsons purpose is to point out the flaws of the pharmaceutical industry in order to warn the readers about the credibility of the drugs they are buying. Given the critical yet technical language of the book, Abramson is writing to an audience that may include academic physicians as well as those who want to learn about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry.
Federal Trade Commission, 1979. Braithwalte, John. The. Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry? Boston, MS: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984.
The information that animals have provided scientists over the past decades has changed society, and is still changing society for the better. Millions of lives have been saved with the use of animal testing and many more will be saved with continued research. However, there are many who dismiss this monumental achievement completely and oppose the use of animals in laboratory research. Though many find this practice to be
A famous thought experiment in quantum physics is that of Schrödinger’s cat. In this experiment, a cat is placed in a box with poison that has a chance to either explode, killing the cat, or not explode, allowing the kitty to live. Although some would object, we ought to open the box to see if the cat is alive or not. Similarly, we should attempt to uncover reality instead of accepting the current dogma. In his article, “Can the Sciences Help Us to Make Wise Ethical Judgements?” Paul Kurtz argues that not only can science help through inquiry but it already plays an active role in shaping our moral conduct. According to him, ethical judgement and science meet somewhat halfway and although we cannot come up with a specific set of instructions
Hyde, Justin. "Judge Sentences Kervorkian to 10 to 25 Years, Denies Bail." The Des Moines Register. April 14, 1999.
In August of 2001 Robert Ray Courtney was arrested in Kansas City, Missouri and charged with diluting drugs used to treat cancer patients. Courtney’s actions not only violated criminal and civil laws but they shattered the ethical code and the oath he took as a licensed pharmacist. His actions left many people wondering why anyone would commit such a horrible act, let alone a trusted pharmacist who was providing medication to patients whose very lives depended on him doing his job.
In the article “Killing to stay alive” the author details how hard it can be to balance the idea of ethics with the advancement of science. He says how difficult it can be to weigh whether the scientific gain is worth the lost lives of the animal test subjects. Ericson specifically looks at how being able to bioengineer genetics and mutations allows for even more discrepancies in animal research, as the gray area of ethics is expanded, and the definitive line of what is ethical and what is not is blurred. Finally, he mentions how importance of have organizations such People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which make sure that research groups are being ethical in their research.
3Walker, Hugh: Market Power and Price levels in the Ethical Drug Industry; Indiana University Press, 1971, P 25.
"Botched Executions In The USA." Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty. 20 May 2009 .
Martinez, Barbara “Firms Paid to Trim Drug Costs Also Toil for Drug Makers” The Wall Street
Although not as strictly addressed, there is still a schism when it comes to the matters of experimentation involving animals. Those in opposition of it see it as being against the will of the animal, because animals have no say in the matter. However, through animal experimentation there has been vast medical advances in hospitals and veterinarians , research has led to cures for various diseases that would normally take many more years to cure, and the use of animals is highly ethical considering what could be the alternative, although there is progress being made to change these measures. This is how animal experimentation is of use to society for humans and animals.
Wolf, M. (2011, June 4). We should declare an end to our disastrous war on drugs. Financial Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/870200965?accountid=14473
Ethics, though sometimes overlooked, are an integral part in conducting proper research. Though the primary goal of the researcher may be to find answers that support his hypothesis—particularly, positive results that successfully can apply to the general population—maintaining ethical conditions is also just as important, if not more. Some of the most infamous studies that have occurred in the social sciences field throughout the years were ones that raised ethical concerns. One such study is known as the Landis Facial Expression Study that was conducted in 1924 by Carney Landis, who was a graduate student in psychology at the University of Minnesota at the time.
Production of knowledge is generally seen in a positive light. However, when ethics and morality become involved in the process of production, judgements will undoubtedly be made that may seem to limit the availability of that knowledge. Ethical judgements are made by the combination of a knower, his or her standard of value, and the situation itself. In the field of the arts and natural sciences, ethics plays a crucial role in the extent one may possibly be allowed to go to when discovering new knowledge. Reason and emotion are important ways of knowing that help guide knowers in making certain moral decisions. Both ways of knowing can be associated with teleological or deontological arguments; the ethics are based on either an objectives-focused or obligations-focused mindset. In this essay, I will be discussing the limitations set on both the arts and the natural sciences as areas of knowledge. To what extent do ethical implications hinder the way art can be produced or the methods involved in expanding society’s knowledge of science?
This essay will show that ethical considerations do limit the production of knowledge in both art and natural sciences and that such kind of limitations are present to a higher extent in the natural sciences.