The ethical cost of doing nothing

作     者：Andrew J.Parker Andrew J.Parker

作者机构：University of Oxford Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and Genetics 

出 版 物：《National Science Review》 (国家科学评论(英文版))

年 卷 期：2020年第7卷第7期

页      面：1260-1262页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 071002[理学-动物学] 

基　　金：MRC [MR/K014382/1] Funding Source: UKRI 

摘      要：Concern has been raised about the ethics and risks of performing genetic interventions in macaque monkeys to study models of human neuropsychiatric conditions. Here I point out that,when the outcome of some situations is truly uncertain, human decision makers tend to evaluate these situations inconsistently. The consequences of this inconsistency are sometimes profound, as they lead policy makers and reviewers to ignore or discount the ethical costs of doing nothing. I conclude that there are fundamental problems with the ‘precautionary