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Gene editing and eugenics
A study published last week in the journal Cell has led to speculation that a powerful new gene editing technique is about to be developed. Gene editing has received widespread media coverage over the past few months. Most of the excitement has centred on a specific gene editing technique, the CRISPR-cas9 system. Research conducted with…
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Don’t write evil algorithms
Google is said to have dropped the famous “Don’t be evil” slogan. Actually, it is the holding company Alphabet that merely wants employees to “do the right thing”. Regardless of what one thinks about the actual behaviour and ethics of Google, it seems that it got one thing right early on: a recognition that it…
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Guest Post: What (if anything) makes extinction bad?
Catia Faria, Pompeu Fabra University Follow Catia on Twitter here Throughout history, countless species have come into existence only to later become extinct. Whether extinction is caused by natural processes or human agency, environmental scientists and the general public seem to agree that extinction is a bad thing and that, therefore, conservation efforts should be…
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Mandatory submission of patient information about FGM: a pointless, damaging, discriminatory mess
Brenda Kelly and Charles Foster Female Genital Mutilation (‘FGM’) is a term covering various procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons (WHO, 2012). It can be associated with immediate and long-term physical and psychological health problems. FGM is prevalent in…
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Some thoughts on reparations
Consider the following case. Imagine you inherit a fortune from your parents. With that money, you buy a luxurious house and you pay to get a good education, which later allows you to find a job where you earn a decent salary. Many years later, you find out that your parents made their fortune through…
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Rugby and the Love of the Underdog
The Rugby World Cup is now well underway in England and Wales, and rugby fans have possibly already seen one of its most surprising results and entertaining games. On the second day of the tournament, Japan defied the odds to earn a narrow 34-32 victory over South Africa. The result stunned the rugby world –…
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In defence of drinking alone
By Rebecca Roache and Hannah Maslen Yes they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness But it’s better than drinking alone – Billy Joel, Piano Man Drinking alone is often frowned upon. Those who do it can be quite defensive about it—as illustrated by a Reddit thread entitled ‘Why do people think drinking…
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Guest Post: Performance enhancers and smart drugs in e-sports
Written by Toni Gibea Research Center in Applied Ethics, University of Bucharest My aim is to show that the decision made by ESL (Electronic Sports League) to ban Adderall in e-sport competitions is not the outcome of a well-reasoned ethical debate. There are some important ethical arguments that could be raised against the ESL decision…
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1 in 4 women: How the latest sexual assault statistics were turned into click bait by the New York Times
by Brian D. Earp / (@briandavidearp) * Note: this article was originally published at the Huffington Post. Introduction As someone who has worked on college campuses to educate men and women about sexual assault and consent, I have seen the barriers to raising awareness and changing attitudes. Chief among them, in my experience, is a sense of skepticism–especially…
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Guest Post: ENHANCING WISDOM
Written by Darlei Dall’Agnol[1] Stephen Hawking has recently made two very strong declarations: Philosophy is dead; Artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. I wonder whether there is a close connection between the two. In fact, I believe that the second will be true only if the first…