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Philosophy in Research Ethics 
Philosophy in Research Ethics is a one day workshop, intended to be the first of a regular series of events, the aim of which is to establish a network of academics with interests in philosophical issues connected with research ethics and research ethics committees; focus attention on the issues of principle that risk getting lost amongst the practical considerations which are the stock in trade of many ethics committees; and provide a forum for the investigation of those issues. Just as importantly, it will enable the dissemination of work that is already underway in this area.
Event type: Workshop
Organiser: Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Location: Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied CETL, University of Leeds
Country: Great Britain
Date: 14th May 2010
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 26th February 2010
Event Webpage: http://www.idea.leeds.ac.uk/2010/02/workshop-on-philosophy-in-research-ethics/
Contact name: Georgia Testa
Contact email: g.testa@leeds.ac.uk
Details:
Philosophy in Research Ethics is a one day workshop to be hosted by the IDEA (Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied) Centre at the University of Leeds on Friday 14th May. Attendance at the conference is free thanks to the generous support of the Wellcome Trust.
Keynote speakers: Dr. Angus Dawson (Keele) and Prof. Søren Holm (Manchester)
We invite submission of abstracts for three 45 minute slots. Papers should be suitable for presentation in 20-25 minutes, leaving a similar time for discussion.
The workshop is intended to be the first of a regular series of events, the aim of which is to establish a network of academics with interests in philosophical issues connected with research ethics and research ethics committees; focus attention on the issues of principle that risk getting lost amongst the practical considerations which are the stock in trade of many ethics committees; and provide a forum for the investigation of those issues. Just as importantly, it will enable the dissemination of work that is already underway in this area.
While areas of current discussion and debate in ethics do bear on research ethics (notions of autonomy and their relationship to consent are clearly relevant, for example) there is scope for discussion of a range of more focused questions. The following, for instance, are questions that warrant further investigation:
Research ethics
Is there a duty to be a research subject? Is it exploitative to offer economic incentives for participating in research? Or is it exploitative not to offer such incentives? How do we define vulnerability and vulnerable populations? Should there be different guidelines or standards depending on the location in which research is carried out?
International research
What is the scope and prescriptive content of universal research guidelines? Do they have the status of international law? Are international research guidelines paternalistic and is this a bad thing? What constitutes exploitative research in the developing world?
Research ethics and ethical theory
Are traditional ethical theories able to give a satisfactory account of how and why researchers’ responsibilities arise? What is the relationship between epistemic virtues and ethical virtues? Should ethical theory be treated as a ‘black box’ delivering inviolable principles? Should researchers (and ethics committees) be making use of it in their practical reasoning?
Research ethics committees
Are ethics committees communities of enquiry, establishing the correct course of action or legislators literally determining what the correct course of action is? Are there philosophical reasons to think that a committee can do a better job than a thoughtful individual?
While these headings are not exhaustive, they indicate the range of philosophical issues to be considered.
As this is intended to be the first in a series of events, submissions that raise new questions or areas for investigation, or start to map a range of responses to new or under-researched philosophical questions about research ethics, are particularly encouraged.
Please submit abstracts to researchethicsworkshop@googlemail.com by Friday 26 February. Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words. Research students are welcome to submit.
We expect to send notification of acceptances by Friday 19 March. If your abstract is accepted, we will cover the expense of standard class travel within the UK by train (in line with University of Leeds travel expense regulations).
While attendance is free, places are limited. Please email Georgia Testa (g.testa@leeds.ac.uk) if you would like to reserve a place.