An Uncommonly Good Foundation for Research Ethics

Abstract

Should research ethics scholars, clinical investigators, and human research professionals read a thick book by a moral philosopher on the foundations of research ethics? Absolutely. Why? Because everyone who has tried to figure out how research ethics and regulatory compliance fit together, or tried to keep up with the vast array of regulations, guidance documents, educational materials, and scholarly literature, already knows that the human research protections system is mined with contradictions, gaps, and confusions. It holds together well enough, but many dedicated folks have long struggled to MacGyver rickety spots of theory and practice known to be problematic. For the Common Good: Philosophical Foundations of Research Ethics, by Alex John London, comes to the rescue, offering an eloquently structured, amply justified, and ultimately persuasive theoretical foundation on which many necessary repairs can now be built.