news 2020

Many countries are turning to digital aids to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic. ETH researchers are now pointing out the ethical challenges, that need to be taken into account and the issues that need careful consideration when planning, developing and implementing such tools. Handwashing, social distancing and mask wearing: all these measures have proven effective in the current COVID-19 pandemic - just as they were 100 years ago when the Spanish flu was raging throughout the world.

When people behave selfishly, they have a reliable ally to keep their self-image well-polished - their own memory. When asked to recall how generous they were in the past, selfish people tend to remember being more benevolent than they actually were, according to a series of experiments by Yale psychologists and economists at University of Zurich published April 29 Communications.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung recently published a paper on the ethical challenges of digitisation written by Peter Seele, economist, philosopher and professor of business ethics at USI Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society and Dirk Helbing, professor of Computational Social Science at ETH Zurich.

Researchers have developed a new way to measure Machiavellianism - a personality type which has a tendency to exploit, deceive and distrust others. Rigorous statistical testing identified these master manipulators with 12 simple questions and experts found males scored higher than females. Lead authors Dr Conal Monaghan and Dr Boris Bizumic, from The Australian National University (ANU), said people with high Machiavellian or "high Mach" scores had consistent views and tactics across languages, cultures, and genders.

Research published today in the  Journal of Medical Ethics  found that the way informed consent is currently taken causes unnecessary 'nocebo' harms. The requirement of informed consent means that it is an ethical requirement to warn patients about risks of taking part in clinical trials. But recent research shows that the way in which patients are told about these risks can actually cause harm.

Recerca The interests of science, technology and society should not prevail over those of the individual. Guaranteeing this principle is one of the main tasks in the research ethics committees (CER), interdisciplinary collegiate bodies set by the law which analyse the scientific validity of research studies and its social value, and which study the rights and interests at stake.