Ethical aspects of science - Essay Example

 Ethical aspects of science While no one would dare to question the importance of ethics, representatives of different generations understood the core values and major ethical principles differently. As a result, a number of different ethical theories were formed. However, reality proves that values and principles established years ago require adjustments as time goes by and technological progress changes our lives drastically. Today our society is faced with questions and issues no one could even think of fifty years ago. Such situations require special attention since there is no previous experience to rely on. Thus, within a framework of this paper the notion of ethics will be considered and its application for a concrete situation will be discussed. Speaking of ethics, it makes sense to consider what should be understood by this term in a broad context. According to the definition provided in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, by ethics one should understand a set of ‘rules of behaviour based on ideas about what is morally good and bad’(The Merriam-Webster 2015). In an academic context, ethics needs to be considered as ‘an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behaviour’. Ethics in the academic context is commonly considered to be a branch of philosophy that deals with what is right and what is wrong from a moral point of view. In general, ethics needs to be considered as all the moral principles that may influence our decisions and correct our behaviour. It needs to be pointed out that these principles can include working, eating, communicating with other people, studying, and so forth. These principles are meant to keep our own lives and lives of people around in the right order. That is why, since the ancient times people had been expected to follow the rules of ethics and to encourage others to do the same. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that modern world is a complicated place where everything changes fast. Consequently, the need to adopt ethical theories to the new conditions of life arises. Technologies and science develop new ideas faster than ever, and one of the major concerns of science in a context of ethics is a field of biomedical research. Dramatically fast development of biomedical technologies that happened during the last twenty years produced a huge amount of ethical issues. At the outset, it is necessary to mention that there is a list of reasons explaining why adherence to ethical norms is so important in a field of research. Firstly, the aims of any research are knowledge, avoidance of errors, and truth. So, there is a need for prohibition of fabricating, misrepresenting or falsifying research data. Secondly, research activities usually involve groups of people, and it arises the need to follow ethical rules and adhere to values necessary for productive collaborative work. Apart from it, one needs to take into account that researchers deal with such important things as copyright, authorship, and patenting policies. Thirdly, ethical norms are meant to ensure that researchers work on projects that are going to be accountable to the public. For instance, research on chemical and biological weapons designed for military purposes is a telling example of a public’s concern regarding the ethical side of research (Revill 2013). The next aspect is strictly tied to the previous one. As long as a certain research is recognized and accepted by public due to its ethical value, it becomes a subject of public support. Consequently, researchers need to conduct ethical behaviour since what they deal with such important aspects as social responsibility, human rights, healthy, safety, and compliance with the law. As it has already been mentioned, rapid development of technologies produced an increase in a number of ethical issues. In a response to such obstacles, a lot of academic centres decide on creating of committee to be the major reference for researches and investigators when it comes to any kind of ethical issues or dilemmas. This committee is called the Research Ethics Consultation (REC), and its main purpose is to keep ethical issues under control (Sharp 2015). Speaking about the situation represented in the case study, one needs to say that it may serve as a proof that the future is already here. The main idea of a biomedical experiment considered in the given case study is to use a so-called ‘three-person IVF’ technology as an alternative to a traditional fertility treatment. By ‘three-person IVF’ should be understood a genetic material taken from three people. The major claim of the supporters of this idea is that newly discovered technique can help children get rid of severe and debilitating illnesses. It needs to be pointed out that the opponents of this idea support their position by explaining how dangerous and unpredictable the outcomes of such a procedure can be. The ethical side of this situation is that it is hard to predict what kind of health those future children might have. Moreover, scientists predict that changes in the DNA will affect not only the children born with a ‘three-person IVF’ but all the following generations as well. Proceeding from this, a question arises: do scientists and even parents of a future child have the right to decide on a life and health of the next generations? Apart from it, one needs to point out that a decision to allow the procedure is likely to be considered as a reliable precedent for further genetic modifications of human beings. Obviously, such an outcome should be prevented, since it is out of all ethical norms to design children in accordance to one’s preferences. As a conclusion, it is necessary to point out that although the initial motivation to use the new technique is honorable since it is meant to improve health of children, the possible outcomes predicted by the experts prove that it is not worth it. The discussed procedure is not only expensive and dangerous, but it also may have truly unpredictable and, what is even more important, irreversible outcomes that would change the history of human beings once and forever. Thus, my point of view is that a further research regarding this topic as well as practical implementation of this findings, should be banned by ethical committees in order to predict a catastrophe. It is critically important to understand that allowing further research on this subject is equal to what is "what is normally considered the most important ethical line in the prevention of a new eugenics”. Reference List Resnik, DB, 2011. ‘What is ehics in research & why is it Important? ‘ NIH: National Institute of Environmental Health Science. Available from: [21 October 2015]. Revill, J, 2013. ‘Chemical and Biological Weapons in the ‘New Wars’.’ Science and Engineering Ethics. Vol. 20, Issue 3. Available from: [21 October 2015]. Sharp, RR, 2015. ‘Research Ethics Consultation: Ethical and Professional Practice Challenges and Recommendations.’ The Acadimice Medicine. Available from: < http://mobile.journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/_layouts/oaks.journals.mobile/articleviewer.aspx?year=2015&issue=05000&article=00022> [ 21 October 2015]. The Merriam Webster, 2015. ‘Definition of ethics.’ The Encyclopedia Britannica Company. Available from: [21 October 2015]. Read More