scholarly journals Ethics and psychiatric genetics: is it ethical to test for ‘depression genes’?

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 279-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Psychiatric Genetics ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Modifying Genes ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Future

Only one fact is certain about the future of genetic research: it will continue to raise ethical challenges for scientists, research participants, clinicians and patients (Faraone et al, 1999). Ethical issues are of concern in all branches of medicine and genetics, but they are of particular concern in the field of psychiatric genetics. This is because of the special nature of psychiatry, and its position at the intersection of the disciplines of psychology, sociology and medicine. The concern is also related to the perceived subject matter of psychiatry: the core thoughts, feelings and emotions by which we define ourselves as human beings. Many are perturbed by the idea that modifying genes could modify these features. By ‘interfering’ with our genetic heritage, it is perceived that our essential humanity is coming under threat, and the possible outcomes of this interference are worryingly unknown.

Adaptations of Time Travel Narratives in Japanese Multimedia: Nurturing Eudaimonia across Time and Space

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Ae Lee
Keyword(s):  
Travel Narratives ◽  
Time Travel ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
Life Styles ◽  
Concern For Others ◽  
The Future ◽  
Live Action

To displace a character in time is to depict a character who becomes acutely conscious of his or her status as other, as she or he strives to comprehend and interact with a culture whose mentality is both familiar and different in obvious and subtle ways. Two main types of time travel pose a philosophical distinction between visiting the past with knowledge of the future and trying to inhabit the future with past cultural knowledge, but in either case the unpredictable impact a time traveller may have on another society is always a prominent theme. At the core of Japanese time travel narratives is a contrast between self-interested and eudaimonic life styles as these are reflected by the time traveller's activities. Eudaimonia is a ‘flourishing life’, a life focused on what is valuable for human beings and the grounding of that value in altruistic concern for others. In a study of multimodal narratives belonging to two sets – adaptations of Tsutsui Yasutaka's young adult novella The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Yamazaki Mari's manga series Thermae Romae – this article examines how time travel narratives in anime and live action film affirm that eudaimonic living is always a core value to be nurtured.

scholarly journals Emergence of Loneliness through Degradation of Our Physical Environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelly Bhagat
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Environmental Psychology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Future ◽  
Core Idea ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Physical Changes

Our Environment is growing and enriching us on the cost of its own well being. The matter of concern of environmental psychology is so much important in today’s era to save the future psychological/mental as well as physical health. The core idea of learning the cause of loneliness due to the physical changes of environment can hence change the foresightedness for the field of psychology. The few basic and the important factors which are helpful in understanding the overall health of the environment and its contribution in the loneliness of human beings are discussed in this study.

Patenting Human Beings: Do Sub-Human Creatures Deserve Constitutional Protection?

1989 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-482
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Fishman
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Constitutional Protection ◽  
Patentable Subject Matter ◽  
Definition Of

The availability of patents for genetically altered animals raises questions about the patentability of human beings. Genetic research will produce beings who fall halfway between what we currently think of as “animal” and “human.” It is unclear on which side of the legal line these creatures will fall. In April 1988, Congress revised the Patent Act with a statement that human beings are not to be considered patentable subject matter. Congress, however, failed to supply a definition of the term “human being.” A definition will clarify the legal status of sub-human creatures. The author addresses this problem and proposes a definition of “human being” as an amendment to the Patent Act.

Responsibility for Information Assurance and Privacy

2005 ◽  
pp. 186-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Carsten Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Information Assurance ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
It Security ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Ethical Evaluation ◽  
Moral Quality

Decisions regarding information assurance and IT security can affect individuals’ rights and obligations and thereby acquire a moral quality. The same can be said for questions of privacy. This chapter starts by showing how and why information assurance and privacy can become problems worthy of ethical consideration. It demonstrates that there is no simple and linear relationship between ethics and information assurance or between ethics and privacy. Many decisions in the area of IT, however, affect not only one, but both of these subjects. The ethical evaluation of decisions and actions in the area of privacy and security, therefore, is highly complex. This chapter explores the question whether individual responsibility is a useful construct to address ethical issues of this complexity. After introducing a theory of responsibility, this chapter discusses the conditions that a subject of responsibility typically is assumed to fulfill. This chapter will argue that individual human beings lack some of the essential preconditions necessary to be ascribed responsibility. Individuals have neither the power, the knowledge, nor the intellectual capacities to deal successfully with the ethical challenges in the tension of privacy and information assurance. This chapter ends by suggesting that the concept of responsibility, nevertheless, may be useful in this setting, but it would have to be expanded to allow collective entities as subjects.

Ethical Issues in Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orah T. Krug ◽  
Troy Piwowarski
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Therapeutic Change ◽  
Treatment Model ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Humanistic Psychotherapy ◽  
Healing Model

A set of principles underlies Existential-Humanistic (E-H) therapy and guides the therapeutic change process. These principles uphold the ethical values of dignity of human beings and the sanctity of human connections. Moreover, their implementation, it is presumed, effectively transforms lives. The practice of E-H therapy presents ethical challenges for its practitioners because it relies not on a medical treatment model but rather on an existential-humanistic healing model. This model does not focus on diagnosing and treating symptoms. Instead, it supports an understanding of how each client is uniquely coping with his or her existence. Practicing therapy in this way may be more challenging ethically, precisely because there are no standardized protocols or treatment interventions to rely upon. In the first section of this chapter, four ethical principles of E-H therapy are paired with several potential ethical challenges arising from them. In subsequent sections, these principles and related challenges are explored more extensively, illuminated with relevant case vignettes.

scholarly journals Ethics of genomic passports: should the genetically resistant be exempted from lockdowns and quarantines?

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107297
Author(s):  
Christopher Gyngell ◽  
Julian Savulescu
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Acquired Immunity ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
The Future

Lockdowns and quarantines have been implemented widely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been accompanied by a rise in interest in the ethics of ‘passport’ systems that allow low-risk individuals greater freedoms during lockdowns and exemptions to quarantines. Immunity and vaccination passports have been suggested to facilitate the greater movement of those with acquired immunity and who have been vaccinated. Another group of individuals who pose a low risk to others during pandemics are those with genetically mediated resistances to pathogens. In this paper, we introduce the concept of genomic passports, which so far have not been explored in the bioethics literature. Using COVID-19 as an illustrative example, we explore the ethical issues raised by genomic passports and highlight differences and similarities to immunity passports. We conclude that, although there remain significant practical and ethical challenges to the implementation of genomic passports, there will be ways to ethically use them in the future.

Ethical Considerations of Research in Disaster-Stricken Populations

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Jesus ◽  
Glen E. Michael
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Disaster Medicine ◽  
Biomedical Ethics ◽  
Respect For Persons ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
The Core

AbstractRecently, emphasis has been placed on improving and expanding research in disaster response and the treatment of disaster-stricken populations. However, research in these settings presents unique ethical challenges with which the scientific and biomedical ethics communities continue to struggle. At the core of the controversy is the question of how best to balance the critical need for research with the equally important obligation to respect and protect the interests of research participants within the unique stress of a disaster. This concern stems from the potential of increased vulnerability of individuals stricken by disaster over and above their usual vulnerability to risk and exploitation as research subjects. Ethical principles that must be considered in these situations are the same as those that are important when conducting any human research: respect for persons, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. This paper explores the ethical challenges that accompany inadequate resources and personnel, the potential vulnerability of research participants, the dual role of physician-researcher, and the importance of the public's perception and trust are explored. It then proposes a number of potential avenues through which to conduct ethically justifiable research that could answer many of the pressing questions in disaster medicine and response.

Responsibility for Information Assurance and Privacy

2008 ◽  
pp. 2140-2156
Author(s):  
Bernd Carsten Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Information Assurance ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
It Security ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Ethical Evaluation ◽  
Moral Quality

Decisions regarding information assurance and IT security can affect individuals’ rights and obligations and thereby acquire a moral quality. The same can be said for questions of privacy. This article starts by showing how and why information assurance and privacy can become problems worthy of ethical consideration. It demonstrates that there is no simple and linear relationship between ethics and information assurance, nor between ethics and privacy. Many decisions in the area of IT, however, affect not only one but both of these subjects. The ethical evaluation of decisions and actions in the area of privacy and security is therefore highly complex. The article explores the question of whether individual responsibility is a useful construct to address ethical issues of this complexity. After introducing a theory of responsibility, the article discusses the conditions that a subject of responsibility is typically assumed to fulfil. The article will argue that individual human beings lack some of the essential preconditions necessary to be ascribed responsibility. Individuals have neither the power, nor the knowledge, nor the intellectual capacities to successfully deal with the ethical challenges in the tension of privacy and information assurance. The article ends by suggesting that the concept of responsibility may nevertheless be useful in this setting, but it would have to be expanded to allow collective entities as subjects.

Responsibility for Information Assurance and Privacy

2008 ◽  
pp. 3170-3187
Author(s):  
Bernd Carsten Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Information Assurance ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
It Security ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Ethical Evaluation ◽  
Moral Quality

Decisions regarding information assurance and IT security can affect individuals’ rights and obligations and thereby acquire a moral quality. The same can be said for questions of privacy. This chapter starts by showing how and why information assurance and privacy can become problems worthy of ethical consideration. It demonstrates that there is no simple and linear relationship between ethics and information assurance or between ethics and privacy. Many decisions in the area of IT, however, affect not only one, but both of these subjects. The ethical evaluation of decisions and actions in the area of privacy and security, therefore, is highly complex. This chapter explores the question whether individual responsibility is a useful construct to address ethical issues of this complexity. After introducing a theory of responsibility, this chapter discusses the conditions that a subject of responsibility typically is assumed to fulfill. This chapter will argue that individual human beings lack some of the essential preconditions necessary to be ascribed responsibility. Individuals have neither the power, the knowledge, nor the intellectual capacities to deal successfully with the ethical challenges in the tension of privacy and information assurance. This chapter ends by suggesting that the concept of responsibility, nevertheless, may be useful in this setting, but it would have to be expanded to allow collective entities as subjects.

scholarly journals THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE: PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE FICTION IN CLAIRE NORTH'S NOVEL "THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST"

2018 ◽  
pp. 5-9
Author(s):  
M. Fedosova
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Personal Time ◽  
The Future ◽  
Meaningful Existence ◽  
Science In Society ◽  
Theoretical Science

As developed in this paper, science fiction shows us the distorted vision of the present with its anxieties about (mis)use of science although it deals mostly with the future and alternative realities. Thus SF stories both praise scientific progress and repulse its terrible applications caused by irresponsible abuse of technology. This paper focuses on how contemporary SF deals with philosophical issues of life, death, technology, and the role of science in society. It reviews Claire North's novel "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" in which SF conventions parallel and intensify the thriller narrative. The philosophies of Nietzsche and Heidegger have been employed to discuss the theory of eternal return and related topics of nihilism, devaluation of values, and purpose of existence. It is stated that the novel reveals how cognition of totality may lead to death and illustrates that human beings are incapable of achieving omniscience. Personal time is measured by memory and is always linear; therefore it can guarantee meaningful existence only when its arrow points towards growth and maturity. It is shown that ethical issues raised in the novel are based on the distinction between theoretical science signifying truth and its practical application meaning power. Knowledge by itself lies beyond morality; however, means used in its pursuit entail responsibility to others.

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