wed ethics ch01

8/6/2019 Wed Ethics Ch01

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B i o l o g y & T h e S c i e n t i f i c M e t h o d

Chapter 0

Preamble

In this chapter, 'biology' is de ned. You will also see some de nitions o areas that biologists study. Te

scienti c method is a way o thinking about the world that scientists use to unravel the secrets o nature. Itis made up o several steps, each one o which will be clearly explained. You will also see why the scienti cmethod is limited.

Experiments are a very important 'tool' that scientists use to test a hypothesis about their observations;you will look at what makes a good experiment.

What you will fnd out about

What do biologists study? 008Scienti c and Non-Scienti c Ways o Tinking 009How Scientists Seek Knowledge - Te Scienti c Method 010A Bit More Detail About the Scienti c Method 011Questions - Now its your chance 012What are the Scienti c Method's Limitations? 013Limitations o the Value o the Scienti c Method 014What is an Experiment? - controlled observations 015

Does One Variable makes a Good Experiment? 016Fact: No Variables Change in a Control Experiment 017What are the Principles o Experimentation? 018Science and Ethics 020Questions - Now its your turn 020

Some Toughts on Biology & EthicsA Biology.ie publication 2007. Only available or download rom www.biology.ie.Suitable or the Leaving Certi cate Biology syllabus. Contact in [email protected] or urther in ormation or with comments.


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. :S T O S & E (B )T x k

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What is ethics all about - solving moral issuesE j

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Some ethical problem to discussE

Remember

An ethical problem is one that con uses usas to what is right or wrong.

Remember Ethics is a subject that tries to study which

actions or decisions are good or bad.

I you were the Christian you would not have an ethical problem.So you can see that ethical problems are linked closely to moral and religious belie s.


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N .

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.How Does The Scienti c Method Help Us Solve This Ethical Problem?

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Did you know?

Knowledge o the world gained throughthe scienti c method can help us make the

correct decision when we are aced withan environmental ethical problem.


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Chapter 01: Biology and the Scientifc Method 11

. E k N x want

wants .

Why is Man continuing to destroy the world he depends on?

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Ethical Problem 2: How should we treat Animals?H k

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What Aristotle thought Aquinas made into a law

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Man is not outside o nature. We are part o the ecology o our ecosystems. I this is not recognised by our government and decision makers, then Man and many other li e orms are doomed to extinction.

Did you know?

Aristotle wrote many accurate thingsabout animals over 2000 years ago. He

was very interested in biology. He had hisown scienti c method and carried outdissections on dead animals to describe

them accurately. Many o his ideas aboutanimals were orgotten later because hewrote in Greek. Te Church in the West

did not like people to read Greek becauseit would expose them to ideas they did not

agree with. Tey burned many libraries o Greek books in Europe. Te only ideas o the Greek philosophers that survived in

Europe were the ones the Church approvedo and they were mainly the ones that St.

Tomas Aquinas recommended to thePope. St Tomas Aquinas is now seen by

many biologists as someone who heldback the progress o science. He describedanimals as objects; this implied they need

not be given moral or ethical consideration.

Te phrase behave like animals to describeimmoral behaviour comes rom thisattitude. Te Church used his writings to

hold back the development o science orhundreds o years.


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What Descarte though about animals - not much it seems

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Kant made a better effort - say 4/10 - talented but lazy, needs to try harder

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. It is impossible to think without language,ergo animals cannot be conscious . W .

What does the scienti c method tell us about animals?

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Would legal rights be better?

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Should we allow animals to be used in experiments?S

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How should scientists treat animals?

L k f k :1/ Some think that it is okay to always use animals in experiments regardless o the su ering it in icts on them.

2/ Some think that we should rst look or a way to carry out the experiment without involving animals, but i that cannot be done, then animals should beused.

3/ Others think that only experiments that are essential to the medical advancement


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o Man should be permitted.

4/ A ew scientists think that animals should not be used in experiments at all.

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Ethical Problem 3: Euthanasia (easy death)T k

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Here are some cases to think about or discuss

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He believed what he did was right. He acted wholly in the interest o his patient He did his best in a difcult ethical problem

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Some points to consider and discuss S p pl th that tha as a sh l v all h l th s sa that

t s a t s q st t all ll pat ts g at pa .

A pat t s g at pa t t t all ll.

A pat t s pa al s a ca t c p th t a a ts tha as a. A pat t s c sc s; 6 ths, 1 a 10 a s v .

R that th cas a c a a p s s g pt al v a t fca s. I at all t ta ts c s th l at all .

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Stem cell research

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Abortion

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Chapter 01 Biology and the Scientifc Method 17

Q - N I Y

Q 01. What is an experiment? Name two diferent types o experiment. Which type would you like to work with i youwere a biologist? Why?

Q 02. When a scientist sets up a situation where he/she is carryingout controlled observations, what stage o the scienti cmethod are they involved in? Write a short note oncontrolled observations.

Q 03. Why can some experiments not be carried out in a

laboratory?Q 04. What is a variable. Name one type o variable used in

experiments. Can scientists always control the variables theyuse in experiments?

Q 05. Name the essential eature o a good experiment. Explainyou answer with an example.

Q 06. What is the purpose o a control in a scienti c experiment.

Explain your answer with an example.


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wed ethics ch01

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