Playing the game: a story for the pool-side sun-lounger
It’s still summery, and so here is a little story for the beach or the side of the pool ‘There are challenges, certainly’, said the Boss. ‘But we’re confident that we can meet them. Or at least’, he went on, looking over his glasses f…
Read MoreThe arrogance of warmongers: Pacifism for the 21st century
The world has turned mad; we need to sober up. It is 2014, and we have recently marked the First World War Centenary. Commemorating a past filled with suffering and loss should be a time to remember the horrors, and to take a firm stance ag…
Read MoreGetting People To Get Things Done – A New Psychological Trick
Subtly designing people’s choice environment in a way that they decide for a desired cause of action – so called “nudging” – receives growing interest as a potential tool for practical ethics. New psychological research suggests a surprisin…
Read MoreWhen warning is not informing: Alcohol labels will not be as straightforward as cigarette labels
News outlets have been discussing a call to require health warnings on alcoholic drinks comparable to those placed on cigarette packets. Amongst other recommendations, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Alcohol Misuse has called on…
Read MoreEpigenetics and Blaming Pregnant Women: Hasty Conclusions, Control, and Simplified Burden of Responsibility
In a recent (13.8.2014) article in Nature , Sarah S. Richardson and colleagues maintain that careless discussion of epigenetic research on how early life affects health across generations could harm women. Authors discuss the extensive hist…
Read More“Please randomize me – but don’t tell my family that you did”
Last week various newspapers (see here and here) reported on a planned research study of adrenaline for patients suffering a cardiac arrest outside hospital. The PARAMEDIC 2 trial (full protocol here) involves ambulance officers randomly gi…
Read MoreTwo Kinds of Compassion
Recent stories of those such as Miguel Pajares, who died from the Ebola virus after catching it from those for whom he was caring, seem to provide paradigmatic examples of compassion.
Read MoreForgotten Baby Syndrome
Defense lawyers are increasingly calling upon the services of neuroscientists to give evidence excusing, or mitigating the guilt of, their clients. A recent case illustrates some of the risks of doing so, as well (perhaps) of the potential …
Read MoreEbola, ethics and the WHO’s decision
The World Health Organization on Monday announced the outcome of its ethical deliberations. It found that, in certain circumstances, it was ethically permissible to use unproven drugs on Ebola patients. It then listed ethical criteria. Thes…
Read MoreShould we do more to help paedophiles?
By Rebecca Roache Follow Rebecca on Twitter here Luke Malone has published an extremely moving, disturbing, and distressing article in Medium, entitled ‘You’re 16. You’re a pedophile. You don’t want to hurt anyone. What do you do now?’ (war…
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