Brian Everill (The Scientist, April 1, 1996, page 13) errs twice in his reply to my letter of Feb. 5, 1996 [page 13] on cooperation between scientists and bioethicists. First, by extracting a clause and a phrase from my letter, then combining them in inverse order, he creates a pseudoquotation. What I actually wrote was " . . . just as bioethicists must learn the scientific facts about a subject before venturing ethical pronouncements on that subject, scientists ought to learn something about ethical theories and their possible use in the resolution of ethical dilemmas." I see no reason to change that statement.
Everill then suggests that anyone interested in biology attend biology courses and those interested in theories of ethics seek out a philosophy department. That's fine as far as it goes, but do we stop there? Is there to be no interdisciplinary training and thought? Should...
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