Bioethics for the Modern Prometheus

Catalog description

The ethical decisions scientists make today will shape the future of our species and our planet. The study of biology has yielded breathtaking discoveries and technological innovations that aid human flourishing, but these advances can also present complex ethical dilemmas. As observers and manipulators of the natural world, biologists and biomedical scientists must confront unique moral and ethical concerns regarding their relationship with their living subjects. In this seminar, we will explore intellectual and ethical frameworks that inspire production and application of scientific knowledge for good, balancing respect and reverence for nature with the desire to intervene responsibly to alleviate human suffering.In the first half of this course, we will examine ethical frameworks and theories of scientific knowledge production as well as cinema and literature that propose ways of relating to the natural world for those who seek to understand and shape it. In the second half, we will apply these lenses to contemporary ethical issues in the laboratory, the clinic, and beyond. Topics will include CRISPR, the use of animal models, genetic privacy, research on ultra-rare diseases and more. By the end of this course, students will be able to critically evaluate ethical dilemmas in biological research, apply ethical frameworks to contemporary issues, and articulate informed positions on the responsible use of scientific innovations.