Ethics for Bioengineering Scientists: Treating Data as Clients

343 Pages·2021·9.669 MB·English

by  Howard Winet

ETHICS FOR
BIOENGINEERING
SCIENTISTS

ETHICS FOR
BIOENGINEERING
SCIENTISTS
Treating Data as Clients
Howard Winet
First edition published 2022
by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
and by CRC Press
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© 2022 Howard Winet
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Winet, Howard, author.
Title: Ethics for bioengineering scientists : treating data as clients / Howard Winet.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, 2022. | Includes bibliographical
references and index. |
Summary: “This book introduces bioengineers who must generate and/or report scientific
data to the ethical challenges they will face in preserving the integrity of their data. It
provides the perspective of reaching ethical decisions via pathways that treat data as clients
to whom they owe a responsibility”‐‐ Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021032695 (print) | LCCN 2021032696 (ebook) | ISBN
9781032052359 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032053547 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003197218
(ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bioengineering‐‐Moral and ethical aspects.
Classification: LCC QH332 .W56 2022 (print) | LCC QH332 (ebook) | DDC 174.2‐‐dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021032695
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021032696
ISBN: 978-1-032-05235-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-05354-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-19721-8 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/9781003197218
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Dedication
This work is dedicated to two of my mentors, Theodore Y. Wu who
taught me that “arrogant scientist” is an oxymoron and Richard P.
Feynman who taught me that data trumps all theory and its integrity
is the measure of its reporter; and my wife Carol, who made my
composition readable and the effort enlightening.

Contents
Preface.....................................................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgments..................................................................................................xvii
Introduction.............................................................................................................xix
Author Biography...................................................................................................xxi
Acronyms..............................................................................................................xxiii
Chapter 1 Bioengineering and Ethics..................................................................1
1.1 Bioengineering as an Interdisciplinary Profession................1
1.2 What BEs May Do.................................................................1
1.3 Basis for Value Conflict between Bio and Engineering.......2
1.4 The Ancient Period and First Western Societies..................2
1.5 The Classical Period—Mythos and Logos............................4
1.6 Decline of the Latin World and Rise of the Islamic
World......................................................................................8
1.7 The 12th-century Rise of the Universities
(800–1400)............................................................................10
1.8 The Italian Renaissance (1400–1650)..................................12
1.9 Emergence of Science from Philosophy—The
Enlightenment (1650–1750).................................................17
1.10 The Industrial Revolution—Determinism and
Reductionism........................................................................18
1.11 The Industrial Revolution—Causalism and Empiricism
in Science..............................................................................20
1.12 The Second Industrial Revolution—Darwin Changes
Human Concept of Self in the 19th Century......................23
1.13 The Path to Bioengineering from 1927...............................28
1.14 The Advent of Bioengineering.............................................30
1.15 Bioengineering and Epidemiology.......................................31
Chapter 2 Ethics Biology: Are There Ethical Genomes?.................................33
2.1 Some Definitions....................................................................33
2.2 The Unethical Experiment......................................................33
2.3 Can We Infer a Genetic Basis for Altruistic Behavior
from Psychology?...................................................................34
2.4 A Partial Substitute for the Human Experiment:
Evolutionary Psychology........................................................35
2.5 Ethical/Moral Behavior in NonHuman Primates
(from de Waal 1997)..............................................................38
2.6 The Key to Ethical Motivation Is That Which Is Valued....39
2.7 The Biological Structure of Moral/Ethical Behavior............40
vii
viii Contents
2.8 Classical Case Supporting a Biological Basis for
Morality/Ethical Behavior......................................................42
2.9 Evolutionary Psychology and Social Darwinism..................43
Chapter 3 Philosophical Basis for Moral Analysis...........................................45
3.1 The Eugenics Movement, a General Case Study
Illustrating the Need for Ethical Analysis...........................45
3.2 Macroethics vs. Microethics (Herkert 2005).......................46
3.3 The Concept of Moral Theory.............................................46
3.4 Motivation for Applying Moral Theories............................47
3.5 Overview of Moral Theories Used in This Book...............48
3.6 Consequentialism—General and Specific-type
Utilitarianism........................................................................48
3.7 Nonconsequentialism—Deontology.....................................52
3.8 Kantian Deontology..............................................................53
3.9 Rossian Deontology..............................................................55
3.10 Contractarianism...................................................................56
3.11 Virtue Ethics.........................................................................58
3.12 Feminist Ethics—The Ethics of Care..................................60
3.13 Critiques of the Five Moral Theories..................................63
Chapter 4 Moral Analysis: Deriving a Moral Decision....................................67
4.1 Recognizing that an Ethical Problem Exists.........................67
4.2 Kinds of Moral Challenges....................................................68
4.3 Commitment to Implementing a Solution.............................69
4.4 Basic Strategy for Moral/ethical Analysis.............................69
4.5 Example Case (Adapted From Rowan and
Zinaich 2003)..........................................................................70
4.6 Actual Case Example, John Moore v. Regents, University
of California et al. (Supreme Court of California No.
S006987).................................................................................75
4.7 A Word about Applications of Moral Analysis in this
Chapter....................................................................................80
4.8 How Will You Apply a Moral Analysis?..............................81
Chapter 5 Separating Professional from Lay Ethics.........................................83
5.1 Ethics and Professional Responsibility..................................83
5.2 Lay Ethics of Employee–Employee and Supervisor–
Employee Interactions............................................................84
5.3 Professionals as Employees and Supervisors........................86
5.4 Professionals and Clients........................................................87
5.5 Individual Goals that Should Be Accomplished
(Adapted from Faber 2003)....................................................88
Contents ix
5.6 Level/Form of Participation in Decision-Making and
Implementation (Adapted from Faber 2003).........................89
5.7 Prima Facie Obligations of All Professionals:
Confidentiality, Client Autonomy..........................................94
5.8 When Obligations Conflict: Conflict of Interest....................97
5.9 Coworkers and Clients...........................................................97
Chapter 6 Engineering Ethics..........................................................................103
6.1 The Engineer’s Client...........................................................104
6.2 The Classic Engineering Ethics Case—Monetary Value
of a Human Life...................................................................105
6.3 Engineering Codes of Ethics................................................109
6.4 The BART Case—Unprotected Whistleblowing by
Engineers...............................................................................110
6.5 The Challenger Case—Failure to Blow the Whistle...........112
6.6 Basic Engineering Business Ethics......................................113
6.7 Cultural Variation in Business Ethics..................................113
6.8 Intellectual Property..............................................................114
6.9 The Key Lessons..................................................................114
Chapter 7 Medical Ethics.................................................................................117
7.1 The Physician’s Client........................................................118
7.2 The Standard of Care.........................................................118
7.3 Autonomy as It Relates to the Health Professions............119
7.4 Example of Autonomy in Action.......................................119
7.5 The Components of Autonomy..........................................120
7.6 Two Interpretations of Autonomy......................................121
7.7 Deciding If the Patient Has True Autonomy....................122
7.8 Physician Role in Autonomy.............................................124
7.9 Physician Role in Confidentiality......................................125
7.10 Physician Guidelines When Patient Information
Must Be Shared..................................................................126
7.11 Physician’s Code of Ethics................................................126
7.12 Conflict of Interest in the Health Profession.....................127
7.13 The Impact of Science on the Physician–Patient
Relationship........................................................................129
7.14 The Hospital IRB as the Patient’s Local Watchdog.........130
7.15 The Advanced Health-care Directive.................................130
7.16 Ethical Issues Associated with Treatment.........................131
7.17 The Physician, a Life of Diagnosis and Treatment...........132
Chapter 8 Bioengineering Scientist Ethics......................................................137
8.1 Bioengineers as Scientists..................................................137