HPSC1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hpv Vaccines, Compulsory Sterilization, Bioethics
24 May 2018
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Lecture 2
What are ethics?
- Simple definition: the study of what should be done
- E.g. should I go to the movies or to the beach? In this case, you are not
under obligation, but you do have to do the right thing
Types of action
- Immoral (not permitted, act is bad or wrong)
- Morally permissible (allowable)
o Obligatory (required)
o Neutral (neither good nor bad)
o Supererogatory (going above and beyond what is required by
morality)
In science
Many people think science just discovers the facts. There are no good or bad
facts. Goodness and badness come in when you decide how to use scientific
knowledge.
- Chemical weapons
- Forced sterilization
- HPV vaccine
Facts and values
- Facts describe how the world is or explain why the world is the way it
is
- Values show how we think the world ought to be (they are normative
i.e. prescriptive and evaluative)
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Document Summary
Simple definition: the study of what should be done. In this case, you are not under obligation, but you do have to do the right thing. Immoral (not permitted, act is bad or wrong) Morally permissible (allowable: obligatory (required, neutral (neither good nor bad, supererogatory (going above and beyond what is required by morality) Many people think science just discovers the facts. Goodness and badness come in when you decide how to use scientific knowledge. Facts describe how the world is or explain why the world is the way it is. Values show how we think the world ought to be (they are normative i. e. prescriptive and evaluative) But (cid:862)joh(cid:374) pi(cid:272)ks his (cid:374)ose a(cid:374)d eats his s(cid:374)ot (cid:449)hile he talks(cid:863) This is a factual statement, but it will certainly have an effect on your opinion of john, depending on your values. Values are judgements about what is good- not mere taste or preference.
