Jay D. Aronson, PhD
Professor of Science, Technology, and Society
Department of History Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract: In this informal talk, I will focus on a few of the many ethical and moral dilemmas that I’ve faced working at the intersection of social science-oriented research and human rights practice for the past fifteen-plus years. Examples include my obligations to people I am interviewing about very painful moments in their lives (i.e., the deaths of loved ones); feelings of recurring regret (though I’m not even sure that’s the right word) about advancing my own career through the gathering and analysis of other peoples’ suffering; and, more generally, my responsibilities to the people I interact with who are in far more precarious positions than I am. Part of what I hope to accomplish during our hour together is just to clarify the actual ethical principles that underlie what I experience as feelings or thoughts that “keep me up at night.”

This talk inaugurates the Research, Ethics and Society Initiative Seminar Series.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED - TO BE RESCHEDULED NEXT YEAR