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Autonomy
What is nonmaleficence and why it's important?
Nonmaleficence is the ethical principle of doing no harm (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Not just physical harm but also mental. The scientist in this scenarios mission is too create the best and safest automobiles to save future lives by keeping them safer. Yes, they are corpses but it is a necessity to use them to get live data and find out what areas of the body are injured. Something the crash dummies at the time didn't show you. No harm would be done to the cadavers as they would feel no pain physically or mentally.
What is autonomy and why it's important?
The Ethical Principle here would also be respect for autonomy. The definition of autonomy is the right or condition for self-government meaning that individuals will get to make their own decisions. In this case, the individuals get to give their consent if they would want to donate their bodies to science and not use subjects who never gave consent. At the time scientist needed this consent from individuals because of the efficient job in getting a better understanding of car crashes compared to the crash dummies made in the 1950s.
Analyzing the argument on the basis of the principle
On the basis of the argument, in the mid-1950's technology was not as advanced as it is today and it's important to know that because it was the scientist's duty to do what was necessary to create vehicles that would be safer. Using cadavers would cause no harm to the test subject and would give the scientist a better understanding of how to create safer cars. The church mentioned human dignity even when they're dead but names were never released and the purpose of the testing was for scientific studies not for humor or any reason non-ethical reason. When mentioning human dignity they mean for the individual to be respected and valued and I feel in this situation the scientist didn't do anything to violate their right of choice. There was permission from the individuals to help the scientist create better vehicles for future generations so if they chose to participate and accept the terms it's their body, their choice.
References
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). maleficence definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/maleficence
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Autonomy definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonomy
Engineering, KodsiForensic. (2016). “The Pros and Cons of Using Crash Test Dummies and Human Subjects - Kodsi Forensic Engineering Inc..” Kodsi Forensic Engineering Inc. - A Team of Forensic Engineers and Scientists. https://kodsiengineering.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-crash-test-dummies-and-human- subjects/#:~:text=While%20the%20use%20of%20crash%20test%20dummies%20has,collisions%2C%20especially%20in %20moderate%20or%20lower%20speed%20crashes
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