Centrum pro filozofii, etiku a náboženství FF UK a Filosofický ústav AV ČR vás zvou na přednášku
The Ethics of Altruism in Clinical Research
kterou prosloví
prof. Alex Voorhoeve
(London School of Economics)
Datum: Středa 15. 5. 2024
Čas: 17:00
Místo: Zasedací místnost Filosofického ústavu,
Jilská 1, Praha 1
Anotace:
Participation in medical research on altruistic grounds is naturally regarded as a good thing. After all, it furthers socially valuable aims and enables altruistic individuals to pursue their aims. Questions arise, however, about the ethics of appealing to the altruism of vulnerable research subjects who lack the capacity to consent (such as children or people with cognitive impairments). Further questions arise when research subjects’ altruism is associated with their medical condition. I explore these questions through a case study of patients with Williams syndrome, who (1) often have mild to moderate cognitive impairment, which can impact their capacity to consent; and (2) tend to display higher levels of altruism than the general population. I argue that it can be ethical to appeal to their altruism to enrol them in research when this promotes their firmly held altruistic aims. Moreover, I argue that, contrary to some existing guidelines, it may be permissible to enroll them in research that exposes them to greater risks than would be acceptable if one considered only their narrowly self-regarding interests, so long as their participation would further their altruistic aims. However, I argue that to avoid exploiting such participants, researchers should avoid overselling the research’s expected benefits and should not prey on inclinations that are unconnected to participants’ steady altruistic aims, such as fleeting desire to please an authority figure.
Přednáška je zdarma, registrace není nutná. Proběhne v angličtině.