There are many philosophical movements and several ways of dividing philosophy. I would like to draw attention to two orientations of philosophical thought that are never usually mentioned, but which I believe characterize philosophical thinking. Although unnamed, the two orientations are so different from each other that they can make philosophers roll their eyes when […]
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Last week, the Ethics Council in Region Uppsala sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice where the Council dissociates itself from a proposal in the Tidö Agreement, a political agreement between four parties in the Swedish Parliament. The part of the agreement that the Ethics Council dissociates itself from is a proposed obligation for […]
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A few years ago, my colleague Pär Segerdahl published a blog post on why bioethicists do empirical studies. He pointed out that surveys and interview studies on what people think hardly provide evidence that can decide controversial ethical issues, for example whether euthanasia should be allowed. Empirical studies rather give us a better grasp of […]
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In a scientific article, it is of course essential that the authors describe the aim, methods and results of the study. But all researchers also have a research ethical responsibility to reflect on ethical aspects of the work and to plan and carry out their studies in accordance with relevant laws and guidelines. The ethical […]
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Inequality is not just a bad feeling that some may have, but a bad reality that we share. Especially in countries where gender equality work is not well established, it is important that inequality is not handled as a contested issue, but as a fact about which more knowledge should be sought. Who has the […]
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Imagine that you are asked to participate in a biomedical research project and to provide biological samples and health data to the project. Imagine also that this research project is meant to be long-term and that you will be invited, occasionally, to provide more data and samples. If you decide to participate, you will be […]
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The characters in Franz Kafka’s novels go astray in the corridors of bureaucracy. Impersonal officials handle never-defined cases as if they were robots controlled by algorithms as obscure as they are relentless. Judgments are passed without the convicted receiving any comprehensible information about possible charges. Please excuse this dramatic introduction, which, in a perhaps slightly […]
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Research ethics committees play an important role in safeguarding human beings in research. Respect for human dignity in research has not always been self-evident. The emergence of research ethics has taken place in the wake of ethical scandals and abuses in which society’s most vulnerable have been used and exploited in the name of science. […]
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Philosophy is often regarded as impractical and useless. At the same time, philosophy has a therapeutic aspect. Socrates practiced philosophy with people he met in Athens. He tried to persuade them to care not only about their bodies, their money and the affairs of the state, but to also examine themselves and take care of […]
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AI tools can both transform and produce content such as texts, images and music. The tools are also increasingly available as online services. One example is the ChatGPT tool, which you can ask questions and get well-informed, logically reasoned answers from. Answers that the tool can correct if you point out errors and ambiguities. You […]
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.