Ethics for Biologists and Engineers

2-0-4 units · Undergraduate

Explores how to apply an ethical framework to working with living systems. Students examine case studies related to biological research and bioengineering alongside readings by foundational ethical thinkers from Aristotle to Martin Luther King, Jr. Topics for consideration include justice, rights, research integrity and bias, human clinical trials, genetic engineering in human diseases and aging, creating human-animal hybrids, and the promise and peril of AI. Discussion-based, with the aim of introducing students to new ways of thinking. Meets with 20.005 , a 9-unit version of this subject, which includes a final project.