CategoryEthics
When Deep Forgetfulness Was a Death Sentence…
Memory care specialist Stephen Post reminds us of that dark but recent era, in conversation with Michael Egnor
At Least 60 People with Eating Disorders Euthanized or Assisted in Suicide since 2012
Most had other mental illnesses. How might those mental disorders have affected these poor people’s ability to “choose” to be killed or kill themselves?
Heart attack doctor asks, is death now reversible?
If new findings in resuscitation techniques hold up, says Sam Parnia in his new book, brain conditions now deemed irreversible may be reversibleResuscitation specialist Sam Parnia, reflects in his new book, Lucid Dying (Hachette, August 6, 2024), on the recent discovery that brains can be resuscitated hours after death. From the sample pages offered at the book’s Amazon site, we learn that in 2019, a writer at prominent science journal Nature sent Parnia a copy of the embargoed results of a study of pig brains from a slaughterhouse, kept alive for hours after death. “I was left totally stunned and speechless” he recounts: For at least a decade, I had tried to draw attention to the fact that our concept of life and death should be redefined. Death should no longer be viewed as a specific black-and-white moment. Instead, it should be Read More ›
Canadian Death Doctor Has Euthanized Hundreds of Patients
Ellen Wiebe kills the sick, the disabled, the elderly, and unwanted fetuses
Disabled Canadian Euthanized Due to Lack of Care
He asked for and received euthanasia explicitly because of a lack of care
Neanderthals Cared for Down Syndrome Children
Too often, we abort them
European Court: Assisted Suicide Not a Human Right
The high court also ruled that refusing life-sustaining treatment is not the same thing as suicide
Does Your Dog Feel “Guilty” When He Rips the Sofa?
Dog expert Zazie Todd says no; when assessing dog emotions, we should think more simply
If Humans Were Just Animals, We Would Not Help Animals
Whether we like it or not, the gulf fixed between humans and other animals is what makes it possible for us to reject cruelty to animals
Dual-Use Technology and Research Ethics: Interview with Yves Moreau
A conversation on the responsibility and ethical limits of tech companies
Bioethicists Want to Rule the World
Alright, the headline is a tad hyperbolic. But just a tad.
Orwell’s Cold Dystopia is Closer Than We Think
When we speak lies as truth, tyrants come marching inThe Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. [Winston’s] heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him… And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s center. With the feeling that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote: Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. GEORGE ORWELL, 1984 Read More ›
Confronting IVF: Human Embryos Are Persons With a Right to Life
We humans are persons even when we are non-sentient and dependent on others
Are IVF Human Embryos “Children”? A Recent Court Decision
Neurologist Steven Novella claims that the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that they are “children” under the law “essentially referenced god”
Is There a Solution to Low Quality Research in Science?
Molecular biologist Henry Miller and statistician Stanley Young explain why statistical techniques like meta-analysis won’t solve the basic problem
Artists Strike Back!: New Tool “Poisons” Images Pirated by AI
Nightshade, developed by University of Chicago computer science prof Ben Zhao, makes the AI generator keep giving you a cat when you ask for a dog
When a Brilliant Man Has a Very Confused Perspective …
Astrophysicist Avi Loeb simply doesn’t seem to see that human beings are more valuable than advanced machines
Can AI Really Start Doing Evil Stuff All By Itself?
We need to first talk to the man in the mirror before we go around blaming transistor circuit boards for what’s wrong in the world