Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on…
If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
Definitions
-
conclude --> this is an assumption that some knowledge must not be pursued. The question is about the boundaries
It's interesting because we're seeing if moral principles must or do differ in different fields of study.
Also consider the relative benefit. By setting strict boundaries, are we potentially blocking the way for crucial research that may save human lives?
-
Real Examples
Stanford Prison ExperimentZimbardo and his colleagues (1973) were interested in finding out whether the brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (i.e., dispositional) or had more to do with the prison environment (i.e., situational).
Was this ethical? The boundary could involve something about consent and deception. But this example is too cliche
Problem with GoogleIs developing more intricate algorithms about human behavior ethical? Should they be regulated, or rather celebrated for advancing research about the nature of humans?
It would be very relevant and interesting to determine ethical boundaries in technology, because there's so much buzz around this.
Areas of Knowledge
Mathematics
Perhaps existential questions, like proof of our existence
Any mathematics done on humans --> new algorithms on behaviors, those that generalize human nature for the sake of profits for tech companies
-
-
History
This is interesting, because history is something tangible that happened in the past. What knowledge do we seek from history, and are there any ethical issues?
Perhaps conclusions made by historians can have far-reaching consequences on the descendants of victims. Is it ethical for the current generation to judge any past events?
Human Sciences
FULL of ethical issues
Research on human behavior can be ethically problematic - Especially those that involve blind testing, which means there's deception involved for the sake of discovering something new
Perhaps also issues on gender, ethnicity, discrimination against minority, etc