RT Article
T1 The Social Value Requirement Reconsidered
JF Bioethics
VO 29
IS 5
SP 301
OP 308
A1 Wertheimer, Alan 1942-
LA English
PB Wiley-Blackwell
YR 2015
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1727699777
AB It is widely assumed that it is ethical to conduct research with human subjects only if the research has social value. There are two standard arguments for this view. The allocation argument claims that public funds should not be devoted to research that lacks social value. The exploitation avoidance argument claims that subjects are exploited if research has no social value. The primary purpose of this article is to argue that these arguments do not succeed. The allocation argument has little relevance to commercial research. Social value is not necessary to avoid exploitation if subjects benefit from participation. Although the standard arguments for a social value requirement do not succeed, that view might be justified in a different way. It might be justified by appeal to the importance of social trust or the integrity of physician investigators. It is possible but doubtful that these arguments succeed.
K1 Exploitation
K1 research ethics
K1 social value
DO 10.1111/bioe.12128