What is ethics and why is Biblical biomedical ethics necessary?
Ethics is described as a set of rules and/ or moral philosophies that govern an individual's
behavior or the conducting of an activity (Atjonen, 2018). Biblical biomedical ethics is necessary
as it serves as a theological discipline to the auxiliary science in which answers to complex
queries regarding the goodness of mankind's conduct are sought in the Word of God. The
doctrine of sanctification elucidates it is a reflection on how the Word of God proclaimed and
accepted in Christian teaching transcends day-to-day life (Cherry, 2020). Proverbs 3:5,6: “We
must trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding; we must
acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will make our paths straight" (NKJV).
What punishment do you think would be appropriate for research misconduct?
Considering the damaging consequences of ethical misconduct, the punishment should be
appropriately severe. To this point, punishment may include employment termination, monetary
fines, and/ or jail sentences. For the more severe cases, irreparable damage to a scientist's
reputation may cause them to be subsequently ostracized amongst colleagues, institutions, and
funding organizations. Furthermore, access to research funding and support ought to be restricted
for a period and or indefinitely (Bülow, 2018).
Why would scientists plagiarize or falsify data?
A dishonest scientist may have many motives for falsifying a study, ultimately compromising the
integrity of the results. There are several factors attributing to the reasons scientists would
plagiarize or falsify data including a conflict of interest that gives them a stake in the outcome,
personal beliefs on the subject matter, or a yearning for personal praise. There can be enormous
pressure for career advancement either through journal publications or receiving research
funding and/ or grants. This in turn can lead to the temptation to and/ or the falsification of data
to support their hypothesis. In turn, the scientists would gain increased notoriety, prestige, and/ or
awards. Moreover, there may be an incentive by monetary gains to achieve a certain outcome
from product endorsements and/ or representations. Furthermore, lack of scrutiny and inability to
reproduce the results and or re-create the research may lead to misconduct as the perpetrator may
feel they would not be discovered (Bülow, 2018).
References:
Case Studies 1, 2, and 3 from Chapter 1 in the text. (These evaluations will follow the format as
per page 11. This will be the protocol required for every case in each chapter.)
What is ethics and why is Biblical biomedical ethics necessary?
What punishment do you think would be appropriate for research misconduct?
Why would scientists plagiarize or falsify data?
1. Cherry, M. J. (2020). Christian Bioethics: Immanent Goals or a Transcendent
Orientation? Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 26(2),
113–123. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbaa007
2. Atjonen, P. (2018). Ethics in Peer Review of Academic Journal Articles as Perceived by
Authors in the Educational Sciences. Journal of Academic Ethics, 16(4), 359–376.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-018-9308-3
3. NKJV study Bible: New King James Version. (2014). Thomas Nelson.
4. Bülow, W., & Helgesson, G. (2018). Criminalization of scientific misconduct. Medicine,
Health Care and Philosophy, 22(2), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-018-9865-7
