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The Wrong Motives for Potentially Harming a Being
1https://ror.org/05f0yaq80Stockholm University, Sweden.
Summary
It is morally wrong to risk harming another being for knowledge or others' well-being. Justification for potential harm, such as in research with Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), must focus on reducing suffering, not creating good.
Area of Science:
- Ethics
- Philosophy of Science
- Animal Research Ethics
Background:
- The ethical considerations of risking harm to other beings, particularly in scientific research, require careful examination.
- The moral justification for using organisms like the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in experiments is often debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the moral conditions under which risking harm to another being is impermissible.
- To analyze the role of motive and purpose in justifying the potential harm inflicted on organisms.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of ethical principles related to risk and harm.
- Examination of the justification for using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in research contexts.
Main Results:
- Risking harm to a being is morally wrong if the purpose is to promote others' well-being or for knowledge acquisition.
- Moral justification for harming a being must be based on mitigating significant ill-being or unpleasantness, not on achieving a purported good.
Conclusions:
- The creation and use of beings, including C. elegans, in research is a moral issue that necessitates stringent justification.
- Potential harm should be viewed as a regrettable necessity, with a preference for alternative methods that minimize risk and avoid sentient beings.
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