3 ms·

I’m going to be generous and propose that most people behave ethically most of the time, including the UMN researchers. There is a lot of discussion in this th

I’m going to be generous and propose that most people behave ethically most of the time, including the UMN researchers. There is a lot of discussion in this thread about the basic question of whether or not the project was ethical. Anyone can have a blind spot when making such judgements. An ethics course could help people better understand the principles of ethical behavior, which would lead to a logical shared conclusion about this. In other words, I think it’s as much about knowledge as it is about conscience.

asciimov 6y ago
The decision on the ethics of this experiment isn't up to us, nor was it up to the researchers. It should have been left to an IRB for an approval, which most likely wouldn't have approved of this research in its current state. The lack of oversight is the problem. Because now it calls into question the work of the grad students, the papers sponsor who oversaw the work, the department, and the school as a whole. It is a significant damage to their reputation. At some of the research places, doing unapproved research is grounds for immediate termination, regardless of tenure. As for the students, they would have been investigated, most likely expelled for ignoring protocol or denied their credits for the semesters the research took placed and put on academic probation. The department as a whole would also be looked into.
- grandmczeb 6y ago
  At least according to the researcher’s letter[1], the UMN IRB did look at the study after the fact and determined approval wasn’t needed. > The IRB of UMN reviewed the study and determined that this is not human research (a formal IRB exempt letter was obtained). [1] https://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kjlu/papers/clarifications-hc.pdf https://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kjlu/papers/clarifications-hc....

3 ms·

I’m going to be generous and propose that most people behave ethically most of the time, including the UMN researchers. There is a lot of discussion in this th

by kwertyoowiyop 6y ago

asciimov 6y ago
The decision on the ethics of this experiment isn't up to us, nor was it up to the researchers. It should have been left to an IRB for an approval, which most likely wouldn't have approved of this research in its current state. The lack of oversight is the problem. Because now it calls into question the work of the grad students, the papers sponsor who oversaw the work, the department, and the school as a whole. It is a significant damage to their reputation. At some of the research places, doing unapproved research is grounds for immediate termination, regardless of tenure. As for the students, they would have been investigated, most likely expelled for ignoring protocol or denied their credits for the semesters the research took placed and put on academic probation. The department as a whole would also be looked into.
- grandmczeb 6y ago
  At least according to the researcher’s letter[1], the UMN IRB did look at the study after the fact and determined approval wasn’t needed. > The IRB of UMN reviewed the study and determined that this is not human research (a formal IRB exempt letter was obtained). [1] https://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kjlu/papers/clarifications-hc.pdf https://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kjlu/papers/clarifications-hc....