Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
When was the first use of bioethics, who, when and what? |
Van Rensselaer Potter, Global Bioethics 1988
Bioethics was first used in the 1970's:
"biology combined with diverse humanistic knowledge FORGING A SCIENCE that sets a system of medical and environmental priorities for acceptable survival." |
|
|
Why should we think about bioethics? |
Engaging in thought about bioethics gives you interllectual integrity and you opinions hold more weight.
If we engage we can deal with the emotional issues such as PETA put across.
|
|
|
Where do ethical norms in our nature come from? |
Ethical Prudence (the ability to govern oneself ethically)
It is our genetic basis for altruism (selflessness) |
|
|
What is the problem with egotistical prudence and altruism? |
They are inconsistent with one another. How can you limit your selfishness - ethical prudence - and yet be totally selfless - Altruism.
|
|
|
What is Altruism and why could our ethics be considered genetic? |
Altruism is an act that benefits another, with possible cost to self. Either via kin altruism or recirocal altruism. People may have naturally selected for those who cooperate to the norms of society, and those who bring the most to society through self sacrific.
|
|
|
Who answered the question "Are ethics entirely a result of natural selection? and what is the quote" |
"nature may have selected both for coopertive norms and for the emotions that express our commitment to these norms (Alex Rosenburg, 2003)
|
|
|
Is there any proof that ethics may have been naturally selected? |
Moll et al (2006)
Altrusim (e.g giving to charity) activates two parts of the brain:
mesolimbic reward pathway - food/sex subgenual cortex / septal region - social attachment and bonding
|
|
|
Suggest four conditions for an action to be ethical |
1. There must be an alternative course of action
2. Capability of judging the action in ethical terms
3. Freedom of choice to choose what is ethically right
4. the capacity to predict the results of our actions
(Gaylord Simpson, 2005)
BUT implies conscious reflection
|
|
|
What was scientific method like in 1st-16th Century? |
largely based on teachings of aristotle (advances in logic) and the bible
Arastole was qualitative, not quantative - no concepts like mass/velocity etc.
|
|
|
What did Galileo Galilei do that contradicted Aristotle? |
Starting introducing qualitative, principles like weight of objects dropping at the same speed, from the leaning tower of Piza allegedly.
Put an end to Aristotles incorrect observations. |
|
|
What are 3 points that happened in scientific Method 17-19 C? |
Making masses of observations, noting similarities, differences.
Discerning underlying principles by speculation
Confirm scientific laws, looking for positive instances
Most of this was discredited during early 20th C
|
|
|
What did Karl Popper form? |
He proposed about scientist disproving hypotheses instead of adding confimatory evidence. |
|
|
What was Aristotle's thinking like compared with modern thinking? Give some examples. |
Aristole's writing, which were often based on first hand writings were often used to impede observational science. e.g
Human males have more teeth than females.
Slavery is a good thing
Heavier Objects fall faster than light ones. |
|
|
What did Albert Einstein say about Poppers scientific method? |
No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong |
|
|
What did Thomas Kuhn say about Poppers Scientific method, normal science and revolutionary science? |
Popper's method rarely works in practice.
Most scientists work uncritically withi a paradigm in order to extend it (normal science)
When inconsistencies build up, exceptional scientists change the paradigm if succesful (revolutionary science |
|
|
What is the problem with the statement - Science is knowledge? Give two reasons. |
That in itself in an idealogy.
Professional - All the pressures that scientists are under, career, money, responsiity and to act ethically - how can science just be about knowledge.
Idealogical - Some theories are so persuasive in modern culture that they affect all of science that got done. |
|
|
Why does society affect what science is done? |
What resources and previous knowledge is already avaliable.
What is acceptable in that society e.g. darwinism contested the "divine virtue theory", human cloning, laws etc.
Currently the driving force is access to grants and funding, as most scientists cannot fund what they want to find out if it does not have a practical application. |
|
|
What is eugenics and why is it controversial? |
Eugenics is the science of improving a population by controlling the breeding.
It's style was widely used by the Nazis as an arguement for improving their population by eradication, although Eugenics as an idealogy was widely supported by others such as Winston Churchhill and Theodore Roosevelt.
The catholic church was the first to oppose state enforced Eugenics although after the second world war and the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi regime, many figureheads of the title revised their stance on it. |
|
|
What are the problems if Science is Knowledge? Where is it too far? Name two Historical examples and a description |
WWII - Mengele - experiments of twins, dwarfs, other disabiliies and was obsessed with racial purity. Disected live infants, sewed twins together. He could not have been serious about science he was just exercising power. He had a normal background in society.
WWII Unit 731 - Japan - similar thing, live vivisections, experiments on prisons etc
Problem is that people used the data, especially from Japan, e.g frostbite is best treated with warm water, not rubbing. Is this unethical? |
|
|
What are the two types of Arguments? |
Deduction and Induction
Deduction - if a patient is a permament veetative state he will not be conscious. The patient is in PVS. Conclusion - They are not concious.
Induction - People with Huntingtons always been observed to have the HD gene on chromosome 4. Mr X has huntingtons therefore he has the HD gene on Chromosome 4.
Deductive arguements, if valid, must be true. Inductive arguement, if strong, are likely. |
|
|
Are all valid arguments right? Yes/No, give examples |
No. Valid case one. It is wrong to kill a human. An embryo is a human. In therapeutic cloning embryos are killed therefore theraputic cloning is wrong.
Valid case two - The right action is one that produces the greatest happiness to the greatest number. Theraputic cloning does this and therefore is right.
Both cannot be good. Therefore a premise must be wrong. |
|
|
What is Ad hominem? |
Attacking the person not the arguement. |
|
|
What is straw man? |
Caricaturin the oppositions arguement e.g Jones believes voluntary euthanesia so he wants to see all old people killed off. |
|
|
What is Fallacy of Origin? |
If the argumentor has a particular origin then it must be right/wrong. e.g they must be right, they are poor/rich. |
|
|
What is false cause arguments? |
Assuming causation from association. E.g before women got the vote there were no nuclear weapons. Same sex marriage was approved and then there were storms - UKIP at it's finest. |
|
|
What is Generalisation arguements? |
Broad conclusions from a narrow base. All welsh people speak welsh and hate english. All english people are posh. All scottish people are ginger gameskeepers who where no underwear. - All incorrect |
|
|
What is non sequitur? |
A conclusion that does not follow. There are lights in the sky so there must be life on other planets. |
|
|
Why is anthropomorphising animals a problem? 2 reasons |
It can be dangerous describing them with human emotions as we cannot be sure if it is true.
It can be a conceit - we know what the animal feels. It must feel similar to us as we are the master species. |
|
|
What are the 3 r's? |
Reduction, Refinement and Replacements. |
|
|
What does reduction entail? |
Reduction in the number of animals in experiments.
Avoiding duplication.
Avoiding poor experimental designs. |
|
|
What does refinement entail? |
Reducing severity of procedure e.g LD50. Fixed dose procedure now internationally accepted.
There is a difficulty assessing animal stress so reducing is a fail safe way of reducing stress. |
|
|
What does replacement entail? |
Replacing with -
Computer models Lower organisms Earlier devlopmental stages Invito methods Human studies. |
|
|
Give an example of refinement clue. cows/sheep |
Preliminary research - Stomach Tubing as an alternative to rumen cannulation. (Ramos-Morales 2014)
Less invasive - allows milking stock to continue milking. Yields some similar results to cannulation - shows higher diversity of bacteria. Can be worked upon to refine more. |
|
|
What was the first act of parliment concering animals? |
Cruel treatment of cattle act, 1822 - Ow, cow, heifer, steer, sheep or other cattle. If it was your property then you could do as you wished. |
