Main approaches to Research Ethics

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The video presents a lecture on the three primary approaches to research ethics, displayed on a slide titled "Main Approaches to Research Ethics." The instructor explains the Deontological Approach, which is based on universal moral codes and emphasizes moral absolutes, meaning actions are inherently right or wrong regardless of context, with lying cited as an example. Next, the Ethical Scepticism Approach is discussed, which holds that ethical standards are relative to culture and time, rooted in relativism, and that what is considered right or wrong can vary by cultural and historical context, using the example of eating certain animals. Finally, the Utilitarian Approach is described as a modern method where the end justifies the means, based on a cost-benefit analysis; a clinical trial for a new medicine is used as an example, where the trial is justified if the overall benefits outweigh the potential risks to participants.

Chapters

1. 0:00 – 1:45 00:00-01:45

   The video displays a slide titled "Main Approaches to Research Ethics" which outlines three primary ethical frameworks. The first, the Deontological Approach, is defined as being based on universal codes of moral behavior and emphasizing moral absolutes, meaning actions are always right or wrong regardless of the situation, with the example that lying is always wrong. The second, the Ethical Scepticism Approach, suggests that ethical standards depend on one's culture and time, rooted in relativism, where what is considered right or wrong can vary based on cultural and historical context, illustrated by the example of eating certain animals being normal in some cultures but taboo in others. The third, the Utilitarian Approach, is described as a modern belief that the end justifies the means, based on a cost-benefit analysis; a clinical trial for a new medicine is used as an example, where the trial is justified if the overall benefits (like saving lives) are greater than the harms (like side effects).

The lecture systematically introduces and contrasts three foundational ethical theories in research. It begins with deontology, which establishes absolute moral rules. It then moves to ethical scepticism, which challenges the idea of universal rules by emphasizing cultural relativity. Finally, it presents utilitarianism as a consequentialist model, where the morality of an action is determined by its outcomes. This progression provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas in research, from rigid principles to contextual judgments and outcome-based evaluations.