Because not every ethical matter involves serious misconduct, or even conscious efforts to grab someone else’s credit, I thought I’d describe an utterly mundane scenario and canvass your reactions.
Let’s say you’ve worked very hard on a project. You’ve been part of the organizing from the outset. You’ve done a lot of thinking and writing and rewriting. You’ve worked hard to build consensus. You’ve done loads of personal outreach to try to build a community around the project (including “cold-emailing” people you don’t know personally). You’ve been the dependable facilitator. You’ve even shelled out your own money to laminate a sign.
Author Archives: admin
Why we don’t have a pet snake.
I was reading the comments on Dr. B’s brief query on ethical lines in response to a horrific story about the feeding of a live puppy to a large snake for the “entertainment” of teenagers, and I could not help but recall a conversation I had with my children a couple years ago about the feasibility of a pet snake.
New York Articles ‘collects’ content from another (sic) sites, sells ads, clogs cyberspace.
As you might guess, my site is one of the sources of content. If you’re reading this post at New York Articles (or at “Articles”, whose tagline is even more grammatically incorrect) rather than at my actual site, you are partaking of a suboptimal experience.
I’m not going to give you the URL for the lesser, because there is no value-added to speak of, unless you count the pennies that come in to the leech that grabs the RSS and sells the Google Ads.*
Does such a site do anything to improve an already crowded blogosphere? Does anyone treat a sloppy feed aggregating site of this sort as a regular destination (or really, as anything but an accidental destination)?
Pathetic.
There has to be a less slimy way to make money off the internets, don’t you think?
Homework, exams, grades: are any of them connected to learning?
The comments on post about final exams seem to be bringing out related questions about all the stuff that happens (or doesn’t) in a course before the final exam. They’re important questions that deserve their own post.
Friday Sprog Blogging: art inspired by the space program.
Most weeks the Friday Sprog Blogging post draws on some conversation I have had with my kids that has something to do with science.
This week, knowing I had a Friday Sprog Blogging entry to write, the younger Free-Ride offspring presented me with a drawing — and with the explicit message that the picture speaks for itself.
My requests for further explanation were meant with a look teetering somewhere between, “Stop teasing me! You can see what this is about,” and “Are you not as sharp as I thought you were?”
They grow up so fast, don’t they?
So you all have to help me to work out what’s going on in the picture.
(I’ll assist by translating the spelled-like-it-sounds dialogue into conventionally spelled and punctuated dialogue.)
I’m sure there’s deep social commentary here, but at this point, even getting the surface meaning would be a step forward.
Rules of engagement.
To address an issue that came up in discussion of posts on other blogs, I want to make clear the principles I follow when dealing with real-world scenarios here or via email:
Summertime thoughts on final exams.
While our exams were weeks ago, I know that some folks (especially high school students) are just finishing up. So these observations sent to me by a reader may be timely:
I believe that if students are passing their classes with a B and above they should not have to take final exams.
Most students drop letter grades when taking an exam that is an accumulation of material that they have to dig out of the crevices of their brain from 5 to 6 months ago. I cannot remember what I had for breakfast last week; how can we expect our students to try and remember what they learned in January by the time May or June comes?
Students have to take final exams in all classes and spend hours trying to study, just to stress themselves out and end up not doing well.
Yes, this is good opportunity for the student that has slacked off all year to try and bring their grade up, but let’s not punish the students that put in the effort all through the school year, let’s reward them with not having to take finals, in any grade.
I know some schools do this for Seniors, but to me it just makes sense to do it for all grades. In addition, it would be easier on teacher, less stressful on families. (My house was nuts for one month before finals and my Senior took them two week before my Freshman, and I have how many more years of this to look forward to?)
As an example my Freshman had a “B” average in Science before the exam, received a “D” on the exam and wound up with a “C” for the class, and in the midst of all this we had a death in the family. Talk about stress………
Why are final exams given, what is the purpose and what does it really tell you about the student? It should be about what they do all school year, and not one moment in time.
My response after the jump.
The good reads aren’t always uplifting.
I haven’t abandoned you, dear readers, I’ve just been attending to some tasks in the three-dimensional world. In the meantime, I want to recommend some great posts on other blogs. While some may leave you feeling reasonably good about doings in the world of science, I’m afraid others may break your heart. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read them.
Playmobil imitates life.
Quoth the younger Free-Ride offspring, “The rabbits are mating because they want to have bunnies.”
While I would not presume to know the volitional states of rabbits, whether real or plastic, I agree with the child’s assessment of the activity in which the rabbits are engaged.
DVD review: Ethics in Biomedical Research
On this blog I occasionally note a major motion picture that is (tangentially) related to ethics in science, not to mention seeking your advice on my movie-viewing decisions (the votes are running 2 to 1 in favor of my watching Flash Gordon; if I do, I may have to live-blog it).
Today, I’m going to give you an actual review* of a DVD whose subject is ethical scientific research.
Because you ought to have options when planning your weekend!