PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Mark Rowlands, Speciesism, Reformism
11 Feb 2014
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Document Summary
Medical research on human subjects is one of the foundational issues of bioethics. He also says that urgent research which gives benefits in times of war, epidemic or disaster is different from expansive research which is melioristic" in that it target what is viewed as important for the future. This stresses his utilitarian view where participation in research by competent adults is necessary in spite of personal preference. Harris" view (melioristic care) is justified by the utilitarian view of creating a greater good for a greater number of people where the greater number of people refers to future humans. Assume that harris is right, and we have an obligation to participate in medical research for the public good. If research, however, benefits only a company that holds (or would hold) the patent, then it doesn"t benefit the public good, only the company. (at best, perhaps, the public benefits only indirectly).
