If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge?

Ayush K.

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If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge?

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Investigation, ethics, knowledge, natural sciences, human sciences

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Ethics come into play in almost all fields of investigation; it is the line separating right and wrong, telling an individual to what extent they can go without breaking ethical boundaries. An ethical question is raised when an individual crosses or breaks ethical boundaries; boundaries are the border that separates all the information that ought to remain outside the quest for knowledge. Knowledge is all the information and skills a person acquires throughout their lifetime; it is in the pursuit of knowledge, an individual breaks ethical guidelines. When an individual violates ethical guidelines, we say they have stepped outside the bounds of acceptable investigation; this is the level of investigation an individual can do without causing harm to others. This essay will focus on "concluding whether knowledge should be pursued based solely on ethical grounds is fallacy, multiple perspectives, and instances wherein ethics have been broken need to be analyzed and studied to see whether the outcome is greater than the damage caused" through the AOK of natural sciences and human sciences.

The AOK of natural sciences
Psychology from human sciences

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[...] Humans cannot always be pro utilitarianism because sometimes while pursuing knowledge, the boundaries of acceptable investigation need to be broken for the greater good like the saving goes -in order to gain something, you have to lose something5- sometimes the "loss" we face is our morality, but I think it can be justified if the "gain" will provide benefits to the world as a whole. Having discussed the AOK of natural sciences, in the second section of this essay, I will discuss psychology from human sciences. [...]

[...] This study violated ethical guidelines such as autonomy, wherein the patient has the right to accept or refuse the treatment. Since all of her participants were underage, no consent was taken. Such an act is evidence of how individuals can abuse their power and commit an act that provides no certainty of positive results while breaking values, responsibility, and ethics. In the year 2004, the AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) released guidelines stating every measure and attempt needs to be taken to inform the adolescent and their parents regarding the risks and benefits of ECT. [...]

[...] Sometimes we can argue in favor of the experiment regardless of it breaking the boundaries of ethics and acceptable investigation because of the knowledge we gain from it. One such instance is the UCLA schizophrenia medication experiment, here a psychologist and a psychiatrist experimented to study how schizophrenics can relapse and if they can predict the psychosis. Hundreds of schizophrenic participants were recruited and taken off their medication, causing them to suffer from relapses. Ethical boundaries were crossed when proper informed consent was not taken; the participants were not informed of the severe relapses7. [...]

[...] Keefe, Jennifer, and Lesley Chapel. "Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers." Deontology: Definition, Theory, Ethics & Examples, Study.com Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. [...]

[...] Vernon, Leonard F. "Online Journal of Health Ethics - the Aquila Digital Community." Tuskegee Syphilis Study Not America's Only Medical Scandal: Chester M. Southam, MD, Henrietta Lacks, and the Sloan-Kettering Research Scandal, Shermanm College of Chiropractic aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1242&context=ojhe. Date Accessed (10/01/22) 3. Skloot, Rebecca. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Chapter 17." Shmoop, Shmoop University Nov www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks/summary/chapter-17. Date Accessed (10/01/22) 4. Keefe, Jennifer, and Lesley Chapel. "Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers." Deontology: Definition, Theory, Ethics & Examples, Study.com Take Online Courses. [...]

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