Friedrich Nietzsche made this enigmatic remark about moral philosophy: “In all ‘science of morals’ so far one thing was lacking, strange as it may sound: the problem of morality itself; what was lacking was any suspicion that there was something problematic here.” What did Nietzsche mean? He seems to have been thinking of a very […]
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The newly proposed European Data Protection Directive overprotects research participants and exposes patients to greater risks of contracting illness and dying. Thus dramatically a recent article in The Lancet Oncology can be summarized, written by Mats G. Hansson at CRB together with Gert Jan van Ommen, Ruth Chadwick and Joakim Dillner. People who provide data […]
Continue readingWe are recruiting two new PhD students: 1. PhD position in the field of Research Ethics/Bioethics. This position has two possible research focuses: (a) Regulating research misconduct – ethics and law reconsidered. (b) Ethical issues on preconception genetic testing. 2. PhD position in the field of bioethics/philosophy of mind. This position has the following possible […]
Continue readingEthnicity is a sensitive issue, so sensitive that one might want to remain silent about it. Anna Lydia Svalastog at CRB recently published an article about genetic research on the Sámi people in Sweden. She highlights ethical problems associated with the fact that the Sámi focus in these studies is not made transparent. Svalastog was […]
Continue readingDo life scientists have moral responsibility when their research can be used not only to do good (like preventing pandemics) but also to harm others (like developing biological weapons)? It could be tempting to think that researchers’ only responsibility is the advancement of scientific knowledge. The use and practical application of that knowledge is the responsibility […]
Continue readingOn Saturday, March 9, Linus Johnsson at CRB defends his dissertation: Trust in Biobank Research: Meaning and Moral Significance The dissertation is based on four studies. The first two scrutinize empirical evidence concerning public trust in biobank research. They indicate that people do trust biobank researchers, at least in Sweden. Such findings might give rise […]
Continue readingWe tend to imagine the minds of great thinkers and scientists as fountains of knowledge, intelligence and certainty. That is what their brilliant works make us believe. The products are perfect; therefore, the minds that produced them must have been perfect. Well, the opposite may also be true. Brilliant works can stem from an ability to endure […]
Continue readingI want to continue the discussion in my previous blog post. It concerned an article raising the question whether researchers in genomics have a duty to actively look for incidental findings. Joanna Forsberg aptly remarked that the notion of looking for findings that one isn’t looking for is strange. She also pointed out that healthcare […]
Continue readingA new article in The American Journal of Bioethics attempts to take the discussion about incidental findings in genomics research a step further by asking: “Assuming there is a duty to disclose significant incidental findings, might there be an obligation for researchers to actively look for these findings?” The authors use an ancillary care model […]
Continue readingThe concept of solidarity is currently receiving attention in bioethics and inspires new approaches to ethical problems. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics recently published a report – Solidarity: reflections on an emerging concept in bioethics – initiating the development of a systematic solidarity framework for approaching difficult ethical questions in biobanking, biosecurity and health inequalities. […]
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.