Debates about the possibility that artificial systems can develop the capacity for subjective experiences are becoming increasingly common. Indeed, the topic is fascinating and the discussion is gaining interest also from the public. Yet the risk of ideological and imaginative rather than scientific and rational reflections is quite high. Several factors make the idea of […]
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Inadequate staffing, competing tasks and unexpected events can sometimes make it difficult to provide patients with the best possible care. This can be particularly stressful when caring for children with severe diseases. For a nurse, experiencing situations where you cannot provide children with cancer with the best possible care (which means more than just the […]
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Patients who are treated in hospital for self-harm can sometimes arouse strong emotions in the staff. At the same time, the patients may be dissatisfied with their care, which sometimes involves restrictions and safety measures to prevent self-harm. In addition to such tensions between patients and staff, the healthcare staff is divided into different professions […]
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Philosophers such as Socrates and philosophical schools such as Stoicism have had a certain influence on psychology and psychotherapy, and thus also on human health. But if philosophy can support human health via psychology, can it not support health more directly, on its own? A growing trend today is to offer philosophical conversations as a […]
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In a sense, all care strives to be tailored to the individual patient. But the technical possibilities to obtain large amounts of biological data from individuals have increased so significantly that today one is talking about a paradigm shift and a new way of working with disease: precision medicine. Instead of giving all patients with […]
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When ethical dilemmas are discussed using case descriptions or vignettes, we tend to imagine the cases as taken from reality. Of course, the vignettes are usually invented and the descriptions adapted to illustrate ethical principles, but when we discuss the cases, we tend to have the attitude that they are real. Or at least real […]
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the nerves of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can vary between individuals and the progression of the disease is difficult to predict. Medications can slow the progression of the disease and relieve symptoms, but they do not cure the disease. Symptoms tend to come […]
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Every day, researchers receive a motley of offers from dubious journals to publish in them – for a fee. The fact that researchers do not accept these offers does not prevent them from one day discovering that they have become authors of an article that they never wrote. This recently happened to four surprised colleagues […]
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Authorities and researchers have a responsibility to the public to disseminate information about risks identified through research. Dissemination of information and education are also an important part of public health efforts to influence norms about lifestyle habits and support individuals in making informed choices about their health. Research has found links between overweight and at […]
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A large proportion of pregnant women in Sweden undergo prenatal diagnosis to assess the likelihood of chromosomal anomalies in the fetus. This initially involves a so-called CUB test, which combines ultrasound with a biochemical test. If the CUB test indicates a high probability of a chromosomal anomaly, further tests are offered. This can be a […]
Continue readingThe Ethics Blog is published by Uppsala University’s Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics.
Meet the editor
Pär Segerdahl is the editor of the Ethics Blog and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics.