851-0179-00L Ethical Issues in Animal Research
Semester | Spring Semester 2021 |
Lecturers | G. Achermann, A. K. Alitalo |
Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
Language of instruction | English |
Courses
Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||
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851-0179-00 G | Ethical Issues in Animal Research The lecturers will communicate the exact lesson times of ONLINE courses. | 2 hrs |
| G. Achermann, A. K. Alitalo |
Catalogue data
Abstract | Students are able to identify, describe and evaluate moral concepts, principles and leading normative approaches in animal ethics, to use these theoretical resources for constructing their own more well-grounded and reasoned positions for or against the use of animals in research and for critically assessing other people’s moral arguments in contemporary debates on animal experimentation. |
Objective | Students are able to identify, describe and evaluate moral concepts, principles and leading normative approaches in animal ethics, to use these theoretical resources for constructing their own more well-grounded and reasoned positions for or against the use of animals in research and for critically assessing other people’s moral arguments in contemporary debates on animal experimentation. |
Content | I. An introduction into moral reasoning 1. Ethics – the basics: 1.1 What ethics is not… 1.2 Recognising an ethical issue (awareness) 1.3 What is ethics? 1.4 Ethics: a classification 2. Normative Ethics: 2.1 What is normative ethics? 2.2 Three different ways of thinking about ethics: virtue theories, duty-based theories, consequentialist theories 3. Arguments: 3.1 Why arguments? 3.2 The structure of moral arguments 3.3 Two types of arguments 3.4 Assessing moral arguments 3.5 Flaws in arguments/logical fallacies 3.6 The difference between debate and dialogue II. Bringing moral theory to bear on animal research 1. What is moral status? 1.1 The concept of moral status; 1.2 Moral considerability – criteria for moral status: a) moral individualism (sentience, consciousness), b) moral relationalism; 1.3 Moral significance – three general views: a) the clear line view, b) the moral sliding scale, c) moral equals view; 1.4 Full moral status – the concept of personhood 2. Ethical perspectives on the moral status of animals (moral individualism): 2.1 Indirect theories: Worldviews/theological theories, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Peter Carruthers; arguments against indirect theories: the argument from species overlap; 2.2 Direct but unequal theories: Carl Cohen, Raymund G. Frey, The concept of dignity; 2.3 Moral equality theories: Peter Singer, Tom Regan 3. Alternatives perspectives on human relations to other animals (moral relationalism): 3.1 Steven Cooke; 3.2 Garret Merriam; 3.3 Nicola Biller-Andorno 4. Conclusions III. Ethical issues in animal biotechnology 1. Intrinsic concerns 2. Extrinsic concerns IV. Implications for practice 1. Implications for policy making: 1.1 Normative theories and the political debate 1.2 Regulation in the context of moral disagreement, The overlapping consensus 1.3 The continuing debate… 2. Animal experiments in practice: 2.1 What is an animal experiment? 2.2 Fundamental responsibilities of researchers 2.3 Importance of scientific rigor and scientific validity; The 3R’s; 2.4 The weighing of interests 3. Focus: Experiments on mice 4. Focus: Experiments using non-human primates: Examples of ETH Zurich and University of Zurich; A real case revisited; 5. Focus: Experiments on farmed animals |
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
ECTS credits | 2 credits |
Examiners | G. Achermann, A. K. Alitalo |
Type | graded semester performance |
Language of examination | English |
Repetition | Repetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit. |
Learning materials
No public learning materials available. | |
Only public learning materials are listed. |
Groups
No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
Places | 40 at the most |
Waiting list | until 07.03.2021 |
Offered in
Programme | Section | Type | |
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GESS Science in Perspective | Philosophy | W |