Panel 1: The Past- The first faculty panel of the SFR Co-Curricular initiative met in the Terrace Room B on . The panel was moderated by Sonam Yeong Josayma ('02) and Asia Grabaska ('03). Panelists were Helen Lang (Philosophy), Maurice Wade (Philosophy) and Dario Euraque (History).

In order to understand our futures, we must look to our past. During this panel, we looked at ancient philosophies of the use of science and technology, American research secrets from the beginnings of the 20th century, and to the use of science in forensic anthropology. Through each of these topics, themes began to emerge.

New knowledge of our past confronts us each day, but with this knowledge, a better understanding of scientific freedom and responsibility must follow. The mistakes we have made in the past, as well as the knowledge of other paradigms, will help guide our present and our future endeavors considerably.

-Guided Explorations:

Medical Experimentation on Human Subjects

-----> Exploration 1

Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum , CNN.com, Washington Post

 

 

After reading exploration 1, consider reading this very thorough examination of the scientific validity of the Nazi experimentation results, as well as the moral questions of discarding gained knowledge. During the question session of the panel, a person asked "Should we disregard the pyramids because they were built by slaves?" In this, reading, keep these questions in mind:

-Is it moral to use these results in any form?

-Does the disregard of these results do the victims justice?

-Is data collected in such a manner even accurate to begin with?

Download The Ethics of Using Medical Data from Nazi Experiments(Baruch C. Cohen) (Microsoft Word 2001)

Source: Jewish Law Articles

Impact of Science and Technology on Society

----> Exploration 2

Source: AbioMed, Inc, Steve Anderson of Utah State University, Natural Conception Control

After reading exploration 2, think more about the role of technology in our lives. The neo-luddites are luddites of our own time, those who feel our reliance on technology takes away from the essence of our humanity.

-What need does technology fill in our society and in our lives?

----> Check out a resource that contains links and more information about neo-luddisim.

Defending Human Rights with Forensic Anthropology

----> Exploration 3

Source: The National Science Foundation, Stefan Schmitt, Florida State University, United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, United States Department of State

 

-Links to Explore:

The questions that the past face us with are ones that we will encounter over and over. In the case of human experimentation, we hope that we can stop the human rights abuses that accompany such studies, while maximizing the knowledge gained from scientific study. In the case of technology, we must look at the way our world now views technology, and what our role as scientists dictates in its development. These sites will help you to explore these questions further, and to help you start to formulate your own.

----> Physicians for Human Rights- an organization of physicians of all sorts of disciplines committed to the protection of human rights.

----> Yahoo! Groups on Neo Luddites, Forensic Anthropology, Human Experimentation and Nazi Medical Experimentation wonderful sets of links collected from various spots around the internet looking at these topics. A great place to start your questioning!

----> President Clinton's Official Apology for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. A heartfelt apology, addressed to the nation, as well as the 8 survivors of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Includes audio clips of remarks given during the ceremony.

----> A Great Resource on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study- a number of links, as well as general background information regarding the syphilis study.