Theory of knowledge essay, Tesine di Maturità di Filosofia

Scarica Theory of knowledge essay e più Tesine di Maturità in PDF di Filosofia solo su Docsity! 6. If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge Word count: 1400 During my life course, I have always been intrigued by the way we set boundaries to what we consider as ethically acceptable and how we can assume that some types of knowledge are harmful towards a knower or a group of knowers. In fact, especially in the discipline of Biology in the Natural Sciences and the branch of Photography for the Arts, we can see how ethics and morality impact these two disciplines in the production of knowledge since, photographers and scientists share a common ethical responsibility on the outcome of certain knowledges. In this essay I will ultimately be using these two areas of knowledge to understand whether there are some types of knowledges that we should not pursue since they are not considered ethically valid, and the way knowers determine boundaries for an acceptable inquiry. All disciplines in the Natural Sciences aim to produce knowledge that gives an explanation on the physical world’s functioning. Scientists use scientific methods based on observation, hypothesis, measurements, experiments, and evaluations, in order to produce some new knowledge. Ethics play an important role on whether some type of investigation can be pursued or not since there are some ethical boundaries that need to be respected in order to conduct some type of research. As is known, the ethics of investigation and scientific misconduct apply to all of the disciplines in the Natural Sciences, since their research may impact society; thus, it is important for scientists to question whether this knowledge may benefit or harm other individuals. Although there are many ethical principles to respect, there are some fields that need to have even a greater consideration over these ethical boundaries. This is the case for the discipline of Biology, a scientific subject that directly involves in studying “living organisms and their vital process”1. Ethics highly influence the type of investigations that are acceptable since it involves conducting research on living organisms; thus, not all type of experiments can be conducted. Indeed, we can conclude that, in order to protect these organisms, we need to set boundaries based on ethical grounds. These boundaries can be determined to avoid that these beings are subjected to unjust treatment, such as harm or violation of their rights. In my experience as a knower, I have always been interested in learning about how biological study cases can lead to hazards towards other beings. Thus indeed, I have discussed in my biology class the famous case of Mengele’s medical study cases, a great example of what we 1 Rogers, K. (n.d.). Biology. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/science/biology. of shock in the viewer followed by a burden of emotions given by the cruelty portrayed in this photograph, which made the audience reflect on the tragedy that came along this famine but also question Carter’s ethics. Why did he decide to take this photograph instead of helping the little girl? Many did criticize Carter’s choice and compared him as a vulture, both sharing the same nature but with different goals “The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering, might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene”7. Considering that ethics is “the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong”8 we might as well deduce that Carter’s decision can be considered as an exploration of knowledge that shouldn’t have been pursued on ethical grounds. The reason for this conclusion is given by the possibility he had to save that little girl from imminent death, yet he chose to take the picture, extending her suffering. Although this might be debated with what Martin Luther King advised to a photojournalist from Life magazine, who put his camera down after seeing a child being shoved to the ground by a police officer during a civil right protest. King stated “The world doesn’t know this happened, because you didn’t photograph it. I’m not being cold-blooded about it, but it is so much more important for you to take a picture of us getting beaten up than for you to be another person joining in the fray”9. This statement emphasizes the importance of telling a story in order to document significant historical events, even though it may go against the concept of ethics. This quote makes us reflect on whether it is more beneficial to a third party to report facts as they are or to follow our morals as human beings. In conclusion, the approach used to set boundaries from a particular inquiry, primarily relies on someone’s belief, moral and value system, which may change depending on the knower’s background. Thus, for these reasons we can conclude that there is no right answer since it can be very biased, whilst there are certain principles that we, as human beings, all share such as, the “belief in the dignity of all human life or the sacredness of the natural environment”10. This quote implies that ethical boundaries must be set in order to preserve and safeguard all human 7 Daniel, B. R. (n.d.). Ethics in photojournalism : Past, present, and future. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from http://oastats.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/39148. 8 Singer, P. (n.d.). Ethics. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/ethics-philosophy. 9 Ron F. Smith, Ethics in Journamlism 10 Postconventional Justice: Social Contract and universal principles. Open Textbooks for Hong Kong. (2015, February 12). Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.opentextbooks.org.hk/ditatopic/6183. and natural life from unethical research; therefore, investigations that may lead into harming directly or indirectly another being, such in the case of Mengele and Kevin Carter, must not be conducted. Bibliography: 1. Rogers, K. (n.d.). Biology. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/science/biology 2. Seidelman, W. E. (1988). Mengele Medicus: Medicine’s Nazi Heritage. The Milbank Quarterly, 66(2), 221–239. https://doi.org/10.2307/3350031 3. Lo, B., & Parham, L. (2009, May 1). Ethical issues in Stem Cell Research. OUP Academic. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/30/3/204/2354990?login=true. 4. Lo, B., & Parham, L. (2009, May 1). Ethical issues in Stem Cell Research. OUP Academic. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/30/3/204/2354990?login=true 5. Geiger, A. (n.d.). Photography. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/photography.htm. 6. Daniel, B. R. (n.d.). Ethics in photojournalism : Past, present, and future. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from http://oastats.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/39148. 7. Singer, P. (n.d.). Ethics. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/ethics-philosophy. 8. Ron F. Smith, Ethics in Journamlism 9. Postconventional Justice: Social Contract and universal principles. Open Textbooks for Hong Kong. (2015, February 12). Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://www.opentextbooks.org.hk/ditatopic/6183 10. Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, December 2). The Vulture and the little girl. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 7, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_vulture_and_the_little_girl