Methods of Experimentation and Research in the Natural Sciences that are Limited due to Ethical Considerations

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The production of knowledge, the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject (New Oxford), has constantly been accomplished throughout the history of man as a result of the characteristics of creativity and curiosity. These attributes, besides ethics, have set humans apart from the other species allowing for constant and rapid development. According to (Rest), an ethical judgment is the process by which an individual determines that one alternative is morally right and another alternative is morally wrong. Ethicality and morality have a great influence on the different methods available in the production of knowledge, which has driven the evolution of our species. This allows us to consider, to what extent do ethical considerations limit natural science experimentation and research and constrain the way the arts are created? While looking specifically at examples regarding the arts and natural sciences we will see the ways in which ethical judgements impinge on the way we create the methods available in the production of knowledge. In the natural sciences, the ways of knowing that are predominantly used to evaluate the ethical judgements are reason and perception; where in the arts, emotion, language and perception are used. As a result, ethics has different influences on the production of knowledge in these areas of knowledge.

Natural sciences is a branch of science that deals with the study of the physical world, including physics, chemistry, geology, and biology. The production of knowledge through experimentation and research creates scientific laws and ideas to better understand and improve the environment we live in. Two methods of experimentation and research in the natural sciences that are limited due to ethical...

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... Decisions made in society should be influenced by ethics in most cases, however in some instances, it is crucial to disregard ethical judgement to portray a specific message or emotion.

Works Cited

Rest, J. R. (1986). Moral development: Advances in Research and Theory. New York, NY: Praeger.

New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition © 2005 by Oxford, University Press, Inc.

BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

"Eugenics." Eugenics. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

"The Haber Process for the Manufacture of Ammonia." The Haber Process for the Manufacture of Ammonia. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

"Nuremberg Code." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Pillai, Prabhakar. Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.

Shah, Dhruti. "How the Nazis Undermined Eugenics." BBC News. BBC, 07 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

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