How Not to Criticize the Precautionary Principle.

The precautionary principle has its origins in debates about environmental policy, but is increasingly invoked in bioethical contexts. John Harris and Søren Holm argue that the principle should be rejected as incoherent, irrational, and representing a fundamental threat to scientific advance and tec...

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Published in:Journal of Medicine & Philosophy Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 447 - 465
Main Author: Hughes, Jonathan
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Oct2006
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: How Not to Criticize the Precautionary Principle.
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        au: Hughes, Jonathan
        affil: Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
      su:
        Precautionary principle
        Professional ethics
        Environmental law
        Environmental risk assessment
        Ethics
        Risk
        Science
        Uncertainty
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          Precautionary principle
          Professional ethics
          Environmental law
          Environmental risk assessment
          Ethics
          Risk
          Science
          Uncertainty
      keyword:
        ethics
        precautionary principle
        risk
        science
        uncertainty
      ab: The precautionary principle has its origins in debates about environmental policy, but is increasingly invoked in bioethical contexts. John Harris and Søren Holm argue that the principle should be rejected as incoherent, irrational, and representing a fundamental threat to scientific advance and technological progress. This article argues that while there are problems with standard formulations of the principle, Harris and Holm's rejection of all its forms is mistaken. In particular, they focus on strong versions of the principle and fail to recognize that weaker forms, which may escape their criticisms, are both possible and advocated in the literature.
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    language: English
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