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44The ethos and ethics of translational researchAmerican Journal of Bioethics 8 (3). 2008.Calls for the “translation” of research from bench to bedside are increasingly demanding. What is translation, and why does it matter? We sketch the recent history of outcome-oriented translational research in the United States, with a particular focus on the Roadmap Initiative of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD). Our main example of contemporary translational research is stem cell research, which has superseded genomics as the translational object of choice. We explore the natur…Read more
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2The Conqueror Worm: An Historical and Philosophical Examination of the Use of the Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans as a Model OrganismDissertation, University of Pittsburgh. 1997.This study focuses on the concept of a 'model organism' in the biomedical sciences through an historical and philosophical examination of research with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. I explore the choice of C. elegans in the mid-1960s, showing a rich context existed within which the organism was selected as the focus for a molecular biological research program, including an experimental life prior to Sydney Brenner's work. I argue that this choice can be seen as an obvious outcome of what …Read more
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225Model organisms as models: Understanding the 'lingua Franca' of the human genome projectProceedings of the Philosophy of Science Association 2001 (3). 2001.Through an examination of the actual research strategies and assumptions underlying the Human Genome Project (HGP), it is argued that the epistemic basis of the initial model organism programs is not best understood as reasoning via causal analog models (CAMs). In order to answer a series of questions about what is being modeled and what claims about the models are warranted, a descriptive epistemological method is employed that uses historical techniques to develop detailed accounts which, in t…Read more
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103Fashioning descriptive models in biology: Of Worms and wiring diagramsPhilosophy of Science 67 (3): 272. 2000.The biological sciences have become increasingly reliant on so-called 'model organisms'. I argue that in this domain, the concept of a descriptive model is essential for understanding scientific practice. Using a case study, I show how such a model was formulated in a preexplanatory context for subsequent use as a prototype from which explanations ultimately may be generated both within the immediate domain of the original model and in additional, related domains. To develop this concept of a de…Read more
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106The Moral Status of Preferences for Directed Donation: Who Should Decide Who Gets Transplantable Organs?Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 10 (4): 387-398. 2001.Bioethics has entered a new era: as many commentators have noted, the familiar mantra of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice has proven to be an overly simplistic framework for understanding problems that arise in modern medicine, particularly at the intersection of public policy and individual preferences. A tradition of liberal pluralism grounds respect for individual preferences and affirmation of competing conceptions of the good. But we struggle to maintain (or at times expli…Read more
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987Managing intentions: The end-of-life administration of analgesics and sedatives, and the possibility of slow euthanasiaBioethics 22 (7): 388-396. 2008.There has been much debate regarding the 'double-effect' of sedatives and analgesics administered at the end-of-life, and the possibility that health professionals using these drugs are performing 'slow euthanasia.' On the one hand analgesics and sedatives can do much to relieve suffering in the terminally ill. On the other hand, they can hasten death. According to a standard view, the administration of analgesics and sedatives amounts to euthanasia when the drugs are given with an intention to …Read more
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Paul Rabinow, Making PCR: A Story of Biotechnology Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 17 (1): 67-69. 1997.
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24Individual responsibility and reproductionIn Rosamond Rhodes, Leslie Francis & Anita Silvers (eds.), The Blackwell Guide to Medical Ethics, Blackwell. 2007.The prelims comprise: Why Is Reproductive Choice Important? Is There a Right to Reproduce? Is There a Duty to Reproduce? Are There Duties Not to Reproduce? Responsibilities in Reproductive Decisions Are There Rights to Rear Children? Conclusions References.
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University of AdelaideDepartment of Historical and Classical Studies
Department of PhilosophyProfessor
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
Philosophy of Biology |