(I did move him off the track and onto the verge. I hope that was the right thing to do. The ground is very waterlogged but I thought he needed a bit of protection from birds and four-wheel drive vehicles.)
Today I read the first paper for the dreaded Research Ethics module.
It was pretty good. Guy who wrote it... name reminds me of worms... ah yes, Hedgehog. No, Hedgecoe.
Anyway, he was saying that in applied ethics, in practical ethics, one can't be an abstract theorist. though one will question social and cultural values, it might also be the case that the will play a part in ethical decision making. And he pointed out that justification for an ethical decision is not the same as actually making one, which must be lived out in the real world.
He also mentioned 'reflexivity'. At its simplest, this means that whenever one makes a pronouncement about the world, one discloses something about oneself. So one needs to be aware of one's perspective. This is so good. Ethicists need to admit their privilege and their biases - because they will not be coming from the 'same place' as all those whom they seek to guide.
So, I'm going to try to be more open-minded.
Comments