Waiving confidentiality for the greater good

Ethics roundtable debate: Is a physician–patient confidentiality relationship subservient to a greater good?

Is a health care provider's most proximal obligation to individuals or society as a whole? Our International panel of critical care providers grapple over the issue of whether patient-physician confidentiality exists as an open ended ideal it should be subservient to a greater good.

Rational Artificial Intelligence for the Greater Good

Today’s technology is mostly preprogrammed but the next generation will make many decisions autonomously. This shift is likely to impact every aspect of our lives and will create many new benefits and challenges. A simple thought experiment about a chess robot illustrates that autonomous systems with simplistic goals can behave in anti-social ways. We summarize the modern theory of rational sys...

Forced Vaccinations: For the Greater Good? —By

1 Vaccine Choice Journal —Special Supplement, Spring 2015 Vaccine Choice Journal —Special Supplement, Spring 2015 The Vaccine Choice Journal has received permission from Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic to publish the following letter she addressed to the California State Senate committee as they were considering the passage of Bill 277, a mandatory vaccination law, in April this year. This is such a val...

In the name of the greater good?

In the event of a pandemic that poses widespread infection and high death rates, the utilitarian mandate to 'reduce harm' is the relevant moral value that trumps other ethical considerations. The primacy of a utilitarian approach dictates that those who are in a position to assist the cessation of the most serious outbreaks in whatever role they may have, must be present to provide their servic...

In pursuit of the greater good.