Science and Technology- Bare Bones

Science and Technology- Bare Bones

1. The relationship between science and ethics

   • They are seen as contrasting principals. Ethics is about values- it is subjective. Science is about facts.
     • Isaiah Berlin argued that philosophy deals with questions that are currently our of scope of scientific inquiry.

2. Animal Experimentation

   • Animals are used in medical research such as dissection, testing new drugs and discovering treatment and cures for illnesses. They are also used in cosmetic research to test if the product is safe for human use.
     • The moral status of animals has to be considered when discussing whether they should be treated like humans or not.
       • Personhood is usually associated with possession of a body and a mind. Having a mind means being conscious, rational, sentient and autonomous.
         • Descartes believed only humans possess these characteristics and animals are merely biological machines.
         • Fox defines members of a moral community as those who can make free rational decisions
         • Cohan thinks that animals lack the basic elements the basic elements that make humans moral
         • Regan argues that animals have a mind, mammals have a wide range of cognitive capacities. These animals should be seen as subject of life with intrinsic value. Treating them with respect is just a matter of justice. and experimention is an invasion of their rights.
         • Peter Singer, a utilitarian said "to discriminate against beings solely on account of their species is a form of prejudice".