STAT1201 - Ethics Analytic Philosophy - Involves using reason to investigate questions which are important, but can't be resolved by science o E.g. "How should we act?" Scientific Ethics - Important because: o Some science raises ethical issues o Way of helping reduce unethical behaviour in science o Unethical science can lead to belief in harmful scientific claims Ethical Issues in Science - Many biological sciences have ethical issues o E.g. Xenotransplantation, genetic manipulation and enhancement, IVF, stem cell research, etc. - Pursuit of some science involves risky products o E.g. Radioactive and biologically-active materials Some science can produce dangerous results - - o E.g. Toxins, environmentally-damaging agents, explosions, etc. Some involve direct harm to living things o E.g. Lab animals, humans o Military applications, if successful, increases potential to harm non- combatants (e.g. land mines, depleted uranium ammunitions, scatter bombs, biological and chemical warfare agents, nuclear weapons, etc.) Science as a Profession - Understanding of ethics related to one's area of expertise is part of being a professional in that area - Ethics are important part of statistics, as scientists use statistics to communicate with each other and the public Bad Science - Unethical science not only produces bad scientific results, but also undermines public support for science, which hinders scientific progress o Also undermines public benefit from science by undermining belief in science Why many experiments are not repeated - Little incentive for researchers to replicate others' research, than pursuing new research - Often cost a lot of money - For drug experiments, due to intellectual property system, researcher needs owner's permission, which is often withheld or given out with large restrictions including on publication Reasons for Ethical Failures
- Desire for grant money - Desire for personal money - Pressure to publish - Avoidance of hard work - Already "knowing" the right answer - Desire for fame - Political/Religious pressure Money - Desire for grant money to start research - Desire for money to continue research - Desire to get further contracts from same or similar companies - Desire to personally benefit financially Retin-A Case - A case of research aiming to show that retin-A reverses wrinkles in skin (Bell, p1tt5) is an example of misrepresentation o Shows that money is most common cause of misrepresentation Article of claim was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - o Also published an editorial at same time for Johnson & Johnson (manufacturer of Retin-A) - Authors misrepresented results of research to make them favourable to marketing of the drug - After Money magazine found the millions had been paid by company to the authors and their research institutions, investigations were launched o "I believe there is a direct lie between the irritation the drug [Retin-A] produces and the swelling which temporarily causes wrinkle to 'disappear'" o "Retin-A is a photosensitizer which, if used chronically, could potentially increase the risk of skin cancer" o "the study [published in JAMA] was not double-blind, as required to avoid