ETHICAL CONCERNS ARISING

Issues of funding

Who - a company, a government, or even an individual - paid for a research study? How much were the researchers paid to conduct the study in question?  Were their methods or findings influenced by the concerns of their funding body?

Value of life.

Can you put a cash value on a human life? How much should a civilised society be prepared to spend to save a life? What damages should be paid if someone is injured? Should other forms of life, such as apes or trees or a whole landscape, be valued equally?

Cost of knowledge

When does the financial cost of a science project make it not worth the benefits that the knowledge gained would give us? If gaining the knowledge requires great risk to the health or wellbeing of a person or place, how much risk is too much?