When fraudulent “academic” journals publish articles without proper peer review. When websites online spread fake information. When politicians talk about alternative facts. Then undeniably, one feels a need for a general tightening up. A possible problem in this reaction is that we castrate ourselves. That we don’t dare to propose and discuss ideas about the […]
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Much debated issues tend to be about how we should view important matters that are also multi-faceted. The school system is important. But there are many ways of thinking about the importance of education; many ways of reasoning about how it should be designed to carry out the important tasks that we think it has. […]
Continue readingI am currently thinking about a common gut reaction to the pharmaceutical industry. I sometimes have this reaction too, so this is an examination of my own reaction. The reaction is a feeling of discomfort, when a central actor in the management of something as important as human health and disease is a multibillion-dollar industry […]
Continue readingMany people support in various ways medical research, which they perceive as urgent in view of the needs of various patient groups. But patients typically won’t benefit from research unless the results are translated into development of medical products. Type 1 diabetes is an incurable disease that requires daily life-sustaining treatment and strict dietary rules. […]
Continue readingWe live in a global society, which means there are several actors that regulate both research and services directed at consumers. It is time again for our newsletter on current issues in biobank ethics and law. This time, Biobank Perspectives lets you read about the legal aspects of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Santa Slokenberga writes about […]
Continue readingOur neuroethics group at CRB currently seek two postdoctoral researchers to work in the Human Brain Project (European Commission Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship Project). The positions have different focus. One research task focuses on the role of contexts and cultural imprinting in understanding the brain’s functional architectures. Read more and apply. The second research […]
Continue readingWhat can we believe in? The question acquires new urgency when the IT revolution makes it easier to spread information through channels that obey other laws than those hitherto characterizing journalism and academic publishing. The free flow of information online requires a critical stance. That critical stance, however, requires a certain division of labor. It […]
Continue readingThe brain develops dramatically during childhood. These neural changes occur in the child’s interaction with its environment. The brain becomes a brain that functions in the culture in which it develops. If a child is mistreated, if it is deprived of important forms of interaction, like language and care, the brain is deprived of its […]
Continue readingTo communicate about genetic risk with patients, we need to know how people think about risk and that experts and people in general often think differently. A common feature, however, is this: Risk has to do with future adverse events. We talk about the risk of getting sick. But we rarely talk about the risk […]
Continue readingWe all think patients’ voices are important. But how do we make sure we listen to the right ones? Patient engagement and patient perspectives have come into focus in health care in recent years. Though this is especially true for the clinical setting, this development can be expected to continue for decision-makers at other levels. […]
Continue readingTHE ETHICS BLOG
A research blog from the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB)
We write for researchers, healthcare staff, officials, politicians, patient organisations and anyone interested in ethics.
We comment on the research ethics and bioethics debate and discuss our own research. We address issues from current debates in the research community and in the press.
MEET THE EDITOR
Pär Segerdahl is editor of the Ethics Blog and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics.