ETHICS IN SCIENCE
MR. NICK
WHAT ARE ETHICS?
• Ethics is the study of morality (what is right/good vs wrong/bad/evil)
applied to real world situations.
• Ethics is science goes beyond the question “can we do this” and asks
instead, “should we do this”
MODERN ETHICAL ISSUES IN SCIENCE
1) Animal testing
2) Human testing (using the poor to test drugs
before they are available to the general
population)
3) Human cloning
4) Designer babies (genetic engineering)
ETHICS IN SOCIOLOGY
• Ethical issues when studying humans:
1) Be honest and open about the research
2) Respect people’s privacy (anonymous and confidential)
3) Research should not cause harm (mental or physical)
FAMOUS EXAMPLES
1) Three identical strangers (twins study)
2) The Stanford experiment
3) Jane Elliot’s blue eyes/brown eyes experiment in her classroom