Discussing Ethical Issuesin AnS 211

M.D.Kenealy 8/28/12

What is “Ethics”?

• Study relating to moral action, motive, or character…also relating to ideals, feelings, duty, and conduct

How do we employ the study of ethics in AnS 211?

• a peaceful method of resolving conflicts• concerned with constructing and appraising

arguments• not what is ‘customary or legal or biblical’,

but what is objectively right and rationally justifiable

What major ethical issues are in today’s headlines?

• should the US be involved in the war inAfghanistan?

• should same-sex marriage be legal?• should we allow elective abortion?• should we do stem cell research?• should we have cage/pen systems for livestock

production?• etc.

What ethical issues have you faced or would you predict to be a problem in college?

• writing your room-mate’s English theme?• selling your AnS114 notes?• letting your room-mate drink and drive?

– this one is interesting because drinking and driving is a legal issue for your room-mate, but your ‘allowing’ the activity is an ethical issue

Why do we talk about ethics in AnS classes?

• Ethical vs science issues:– eating organic meat vs conventionally

produced meat?– eating milk/meat/eggs from cloned animals?– should ‘we’ eat meat/milk/eggs due to ‘your’

beliefs about animal use/rights?

Have you encountered ethical issues in AnS?

• dissection of animals for learning?• research in genome modification?• increasing animal productivity increases stress?• proprietary research?• professors receiving patent payments?

Application of science?

• Is it only:– how much will it increase production:

lb/da milk increase or bu/a?

• Should it also be:– what are the human, social, animal

welfare, environmental impacts…?

Ex 1. University of California developed a ‘better’ tomato harvester…

• how could this be an ethical issue?– displaced migrant workers– California Rural Legal Assistance association

sued UC relative to ‘social and economic accountability’

Ex 2. Monsanto requested approval for bovine somatotropin (BST) to increase milk production:

• How could this have been an ethical issue?

– BST is a hormone … history of science issues– BST was recombinantly produced – ‘not natural’– injections cause pain?– increased production causes stress?– equally beneficial to all farmers?– delay in approval approached 10 years and

continues to plague marketing…

Appraising ‘arguments’ – all about 211!

• ‘Structure’ the argument with:– Premises – statements of fact leading to a

conclusion• Generally takes two premises to come to a conclusion

• Are the premises ‘facts’?• Consider whether premises are ‘debatable’, ie,

they are not in error, but are also not proven facts

“Case 1”:

• Premise 1: cats are mammals• Premise 2: mammals are warm blooded

• Conclusion: therefore, cats are warm blooded

“Case 2”:

• Premise 1: Ford manufactures green trucks• Premise 2: this truck is green

• Conclusion: therefore, this truck is a Ford

“Case 3”:

• Premise 1: we should not eat animals we love• Premise 2: we love dogs

• Conclusion: therefore, we should not eat dogs

“Case 4”:

• Premise 1: BST increases milk production and is safe for consumption by human

infants• Premise 2: human infants in Africa need more milk

• Conclusion: therefore, BST should be used in African cows to decrease

hunger

Claims being made:• Factual:

– BST is safe for cows and humans

• General:– children in Africa need more milk (?)– BST will increase milk supply in Africa (?)

• Philosophical:– cows are food producers, so should we worry about

their welfare? – is milk the product that should be used to end hunger?

Summary: Premises and the Conclusion:

• Identify the speaker’s conclusion(s):– pick the important ones and state them simply– define important terms (so we all agree on them)– were the premises backing the conclusion true/fact?– were the premises linked so that they obviously lead

to the conclusion?

• If not:– the conclusion is incorrect or– the conclusion is debatable

Working with AnS411 debates:

• Evaluate the case fully– were all the issues presented?– what underlying issues/agendas may exist?– who are the “stake holders”?

• Determine possible ‘alternate conclusions’– identify the strong and weak points of the speaker– be open minded– be the “devil’s advocate”– be articulate and join the discussion

Working with ethical debates:

• Realize:– there are many perspectives…– therefore, more than one conclusion is often reasonable

• …That is real life…

• There may be more than one answer (conclusion), and those who disagree with you are not automatically wrong!