Tag: morality
AI Moral Decision-Making
Increasingly artificial intelligence (AI) models are being used as expert systems to augment clinical decision-making. At present, at least officially, AI is not being used to replace professionals, but rather solely to advise and augment their decisions. A human is always in the loop. Even still, it is critical to understand the nature of the advice being given. AI models are not...
Tribalism and Medical Ethics
Science is intended to discover the “is”, not the “ought;” facts, not values. Science can’t tell us whether an action is moral; it can only provide evidence to help inform moral decisions. For instance, some people who believe abortion is immoral reject birth control methods that prevent implantation of a fertilized ovum on the grounds that it constitutes abortion; science can determine...
Science and Morality
I have frequently said that science can only provide data to inform our decisions but can’t tell us what we “should” do; that it can determine facts but not values. I stand corrected. A persuasive new book by Sam Harris, The Moral Landscape, has convinced me that science can and should determine what is moral. In fact, it is a more reliable...