What Lessons in Ethics Did Social Scientists Learn from Milgram and Stanford?
What lessons in ethics did social scientists learn from Milgram and Stanford?
In order to produce valuable research that can provide solid and beneficial results we need to carry out experiments in order to achieve this. However over the years multiple experiments that have been carried out have been ethically wrong and have resulted in the contenders of the experiments left mentally and physically damaged, and some even resulting in death, like dying the Nazis experiments when patients suffered all kinds of horrific mutilations (Cohen, 2010). Following this came the Nuremburg code whereby ‘ten points’ were made to define new ethical standards that researchers had to follow for a morally right experiment to take place (Annas, 1992). However these did not stop unethical experiments from taking place after they came into action such as the Milgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment both have been questionable in terms of their morality and whether or not the researchers actually acknowledged the fact that there are ethical procedures needed to be followed. Both experiments show what can go wrong when ethical standards are disregarded.
Following world war two and ruling of the Nazis in Germany were the Nuremburg trials which resulted in the Nuremburg code following the human experiments the Nazi had performed for years during world war two on innocent people who did not consent in such experiments, and lead to many deaths and harmed people. The ten points being; firstly consent is a necessary when conducting experiments because then they know what they are getting into and therefore they are doing on their own agreement. Secondly the experiment must produce rich quality of results whereby it is advantageous for society and not just the researcher themselves. Thirdly, previous to staring the experiments researchers should prepare so when they are creating their experiment they should make sure they can establish the safety of the person and effects it
In order to produce valuable research that can provide solid and beneficial results we need to carry out experiments in order to achieve this. However over the years multiple experiments that have been carried out have been ethically wrong and have resulted in the contenders of the experiments left mentally and physically damaged, and some even resulting in death, like dying the Nazis experiments when patients suffered all kinds of horrific mutilations (Cohen, 2010). Following this came the Nuremburg code whereby ‘ten points’ were made to define new ethical standards that researchers had to follow for a morally right experiment to take place (Annas, 1992). However these did not stop unethical experiments from taking place after they came into action such as the Milgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment both have been questionable in terms of their morality and whether or not the researchers actually acknowledged the fact that there are ethical procedures needed to be followed. Both experiments show what can go wrong when ethical standards are disregarded.
Following world war two and ruling of the Nazis in Germany were the Nuremburg trials which resulted in the Nuremburg code following the human experiments the Nazi had performed for years during world war two on innocent people who did not consent in such experiments, and lead to many deaths and harmed people. The ten points being; firstly consent is a necessary when conducting experiments because then they know what they are getting into and therefore they are doing on their own agreement. Secondly the experiment must produce rich quality of results whereby it is advantageous for society and not just the researcher themselves. Thirdly, previous to staring the experiments researchers should prepare so when they are creating their experiment they should make sure they can establish the safety of the person and effects it
Bibliography: Annas, G. J. (1992). The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code: Human Rights in Human Experimentation. New York: Oxford University Press. Blass, T. (2004). The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram. New York: Basic Books. Cohen, B. C. (2010). The Ethics Of Using Medical Data From Nazi Experiments. Jewish Law Articles. Cox, S. (2008). Results, Applications and Criticisms of Zimbardo 's Study. Lessons from the Stanford Prison Experiment. Freyhofer, H. H. (2005). The Holocaust and the Origin of the Nuremberg Medical Code. New york: Peter Lang. Levine, R. (2007). The evil that men do. American Scientist . McLeod, S. (2008). Zimbardo - Stanford Prison Experiment. Simply psychology . Milgram, S. (2004). Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View (Perennial Classics) [Paperback]. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Shuttleworth, M. (2008). Milgram experiment ethics. Retrieved July 17th, 2012, from Experiment Resources: http://www.experiment-resources.com/milgram-experiment-ethics.html Xavier, R. (2008, January 5th). The Stanford Prison Experiment: Exploring the Ethical Issues. Retrieved July 18th, 2012, from Yahoo: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-stanford-prison-experiment-exploring-ethical-563843.html