When Should Innovation Take an Ethical Pause?

From researching deadly microbes to cracking computer codes - ethical dilemmas challenge scientists, says Waterloo professor.

Is a biologist experimenting with potentially deadly pathogens responsible for thinking about where those viruses might end up? Should a computer programmer worry about her code being hijacked and used maliciously by hackers?

At what point, if any, should scientists enlist experts from the social sciences to help grapple with these moral dilemmas?

These are just some of the questions that University of Waterloo Philosophy Professor Heather Douglas will be discussing on a panel at the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference held in Chicago this week.

For the full article: Waterloo Stories