Facebook’s experimental manipulation of newsfeed content and the subsequent PNAS publication of significant findings from it (1) have drawn attention to the regulation of human participation in academic research and to the differences between commercial and academic research. Those events were recognized in an Expression of Concern in PNAS (2). In commerce and on the Internet, experimentation i...

This article analyzes the religio-ethical discussions of Muslim religious scholars, which took place in Europe specifically in the UK and the Netherlands, on organ donation. After introductory notes on fatwas (Islamic religious guidelines) relevant to biomedical ethics and the socio-political context in which discussions on organ donation took place, the article studies three specific fatwas is...

Background Multi-centre studies generally cost more than single-centre studies because of larger sample sizes and the need for multiple ethical approvals. Multi-centre studies include clinical trials, clinical quality registries, observational studies and implementation studies. We examined the costs of two large Australian multi-centre studies in obtaining ethical and site-specific approvals. ...

Seeking ethics committee approval for research can be challenging even for relatively simple studies occurring in single settings. Complicating factors such as multicentre studies and/or contentious research issues can challenge review processes, and conducting such studies internationally adds a further layer of complexity. This paper draws on the experiences of the LINNAEUS Collaboration, an ...

The debate over physicalism in philosophy of mind can be seen as concerning an inconsistent tetrad of theses: (1) if physicalism is true, a priori physicalism is true; (2) a priori physicalism is false; (3) if physicalism is false, epiphenomenalism is true; (4) epiphenomenalism is false. This paper argues that one may resolve the debate by distinguishing two conceptions of the physical: on the ...

Physicalism -like other isms -has meant different things to different people. The main physicalistic thesis I will discuss here is the claim that all occurrences supervene on physical occurrences -that the physical events and states of affairs at a time determine everything that happens at that time. This synchronic claim has been discussed most in the context of the mind/body problem, but it i...

The philosophy of chemistry has been sadly neglected by most contempory literature in the philosophy of science. This paper argues that this neglect has been unfortunate and that there is much to be learned from paying greater philosophical attention to the set of issues defined by the philosophy of chemistry. The potential contribution of this field to such current topics as reduction, laws, e...

This paper attempts to develop a projectivistic understanding of chance or objective probability or partial determination. It does so by critically examining David Lewis’ philosophy of probability and his defense of Humean Supervenience, building thereupon the constructive projectivistic alternative, which will basically be a suitable reinterpretation of de Finetti’s position. Any treatment of ...

In April 2002 the Nuffield Council on Bioethics published the Report The Ethics of Research Related to Healthcare in Developing Countries. It provides an ethical framework for those designing or conducting healthcarerelated research in developing countries. This paper will draw on the conclusions made in the Report, and present some of the recommendations. It will cover the importance of genuin...