Good Articles on CRISPR, Gene Editing, and Ethics?

[swamidass (S. Joshua Swamidass)]

@T_aquaticus

The reason I am saying scientists should lead is due to their training in both ethics and science.

Scientists have next to zero training in ethics.

[T_aquaticus]

@swamidass

Scientists have next to zero training in ethics.

That isn’t my experience. I have to go through annual training on ethics, including human subjects. I also have worked with IRB’s and developed protocols for both animal and human subjects which requires meeting specific ethical guidelines and policies. However, I shouldn’t generalize and say that all scientists have strong training in ethics, that much is true.

[Ashwin_s]

@swamidass

Why are you holding the whole scientific community responsible for the actions of a rogue scientist that the scientific community as a whole immediately denounced?

Didn’t you read what I wrote after that. I am obviously not blaming the whole scientific community. Copy pasting it below.

@Ashwin_s

No offence meant to individual scientists here. Every group has a minority that will not self regulate. The scientific community is no different.

@swamidass

The scientific community, as we are seeing, entirely agrees with this.

Then there is no disagreement.

[Troendle (Nicholas Troendle)]

@swamidass

Scientists have next to zero training in ethics.

I agree with @T_aquaticus on this one, at least from my own graduate experience. We were all required to take at least one course in bioethics and research. In addition if you did any research that worked with animals or humans you were required to do extensive additional training in research ethics. That may not be representative of science everywhere and only my experience, but I’d be interested to find out how many scientists have at least some training in ethics.