Big-Picture Bioethics: policy-making and liberal democracy. We live an era of rapid growth in biotechnology generating new and difficult ethical questions that need to be tackled by bioethicists and politicians. This project goes beyond typical approaches in bioethics to explore the "big picture": how policies are generated in ethically-contentious domains. It is important to examine how the values of different stakeholders are reflected in such processes to ensure that they are in accordance wi ....Big-Picture Bioethics: policy-making and liberal democracy. We live an era of rapid growth in biotechnology generating new and difficult ethical questions that need to be tackled by bioethicists and politicians. This project goes beyond typical approaches in bioethics to explore the "big picture": how policies are generated in ethically-contentious domains. It is important to examine how the values of different stakeholders are reflected in such processes to ensure that they are in accordance with Australia's commitment to fostering a multicultural, pluralistic, democratic society. This project will produce practical recommendations for refining public consultation in healthcare policy-making through an examination of three relevant contentious case studies in Australia with comparison to Canada.Read moreRead less
Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipat ....Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipate arising from these technologies, improved understanding of these issues, and an account of how these groups would like to see these issues addressed. This should help Australia benefit from the responsible use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture.Read moreRead less
A narrative theory of ethics. The project aims to conduct a detailed investigation into a narrative approach to ethics. Narrative is an increasingly popular but relatively under-theorised concept. Taking as its basis work in narrative theory and ethics by Paul Ricoeur, the project aims to provide an innovative conceptual scheme which incorporates recent philosophical accounts of selfhood, emodiment, autonomy, action, and pluralistic conceptions of the good. The project will result in a major con ....A narrative theory of ethics. The project aims to conduct a detailed investigation into a narrative approach to ethics. Narrative is an increasingly popular but relatively under-theorised concept. Taking as its basis work in narrative theory and ethics by Paul Ricoeur, the project aims to provide an innovative conceptual scheme which incorporates recent philosophical accounts of selfhood, emodiment, autonomy, action, and pluralistic conceptions of the good. The project will result in a major contribution to scholarship in philosophy and ethics, as well as to the articulation of notions such as identity, subjectivity, trust, rights, obligation and accountability, across the social sciences.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101390
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,536.00
Summary
Invasive Synthetic Biomedical Brain Device: Ethical and Policy Implications. The use of novel, invasive, synthetic, biomedical brain technologies such as predictable brain devices, 3D printed biomaterials, additive-bio-fabricated materials, and drug delivery systems have raised unprecedented ethical issues for research. Given the therapeutic potential and high risk of harm associated with synthetic biomedical applications, it is critical to identify the ethical issues before these novel applicat ....Invasive Synthetic Biomedical Brain Device: Ethical and Policy Implications. The use of novel, invasive, synthetic, biomedical brain technologies such as predictable brain devices, 3D printed biomaterials, additive-bio-fabricated materials, and drug delivery systems have raised unprecedented ethical issues for research. Given the therapeutic potential and high risk of harm associated with synthetic biomedical applications, it is critical to identify the ethical issues before these novel applications are widely used in human clinical trials. This project aims to explore how research trial guidelines can address the ethical issues raised by these new brain applications.Read moreRead less
Encounters with Urban Nature in Australia: An investigation into environmental values, anti-urbanism, multiculturalism, and the transition to urban sustainability. This project offers strategic basic and applied research approaches to overcoming the neglect of moral experience of ?nature? in urban environments so as to further the transition to sustainability in Australia. Working at the intersection of aesthetic, geographical, philosophical, and sociological studies of ecology, this project dev ....Encounters with Urban Nature in Australia: An investigation into environmental values, anti-urbanism, multiculturalism, and the transition to urban sustainability. This project offers strategic basic and applied research approaches to overcoming the neglect of moral experience of ?nature? in urban environments so as to further the transition to sustainability in Australia. Working at the intersection of aesthetic, geographical, philosophical, and sociological studies of ecology, this project develops a comparative qualitative study of three Australian cities. It explores: (1) the paradoxical appeal of anti-urban environmental values to urbanites; (2) the multicultural axis of diversity in urban environmental values; (3) political sites for contesting experiences of ?nature?; and (4) policy opportunities for expression of local synergies between social and biotic well-being in urban ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing st ....Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing stressors, combining socio-legal and psychological approaches. Expected outcomes include evidence-based understandings to inform recruitment and retention strategies specific to this highly specialized workforce. This should provide significant benefits for judges’ work capacities and courts' delivery of justice.Read moreRead less
Expand the capacity of an international multidisciplinary research network focussed on the ethical, legal and social implications of emerging biotechnologies. This project will ensure that Australia plays a central role in international debates and research activities aimed at regulating and facilitating advances in biotechnology. The project will also provide Australian researchers with direct access to key international experts in the field.
Developing Evidence Based Strategies For Addressing Childhood Vaccination Rejection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,927.00
Summary
Parental rejection of vaccines is a global concern that threatens to undermine disease control. A lack of evidence hampers the responses to this complex and persistent problem. We will interview parents who don’t vaccinate their children to learn what influences their decisions. We will then hold community juries and a public engagement process to refine strategies for responding to vaccination rejection that are acceptable to a well informed citizenry, practical and ethically justified.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100048
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,899.00
Summary
Foundations of the common law library. This project aims to build a comprehensive, historical, legal resource for the whole common law world, 1215-1914. The free access ‘Foundations of Common Law Library’ will include reported cases from superior courts, and selected others, in all common law jurisdictions. Databases of other key materials such as treatises, legislation, and treaties, will also be added wherever possible. Databases of case law extracted from newspaper reports, prior to formal la ....Foundations of the common law library. This project aims to build a comprehensive, historical, legal resource for the whole common law world, 1215-1914. The free access ‘Foundations of Common Law Library’ will include reported cases from superior courts, and selected others, in all common law jurisdictions. Databases of other key materials such as treatises, legislation, and treaties, will also be added wherever possible. Databases of case law extracted from newspaper reports, prior to formal law reporting will be included. Citations for all documents added will expand greatly an automated international historical citator to the whole of the common law world, linking past and present.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100264
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,711.00
Summary
A Socio-Legal History of Australia's Environmental Lawyers. This historical study of 50 years of Australian environmental lawyering (1970-2020) aims to develop and preserve an unprecedented data set of environmental lawyers over multiple generations. It will create important new knowledge, challenging the common and limited treatment of lawyers as mere instruments of social causes and revealing a novel, and previously unexplored, layer of environmental governance. This new knowledge can be used ....A Socio-Legal History of Australia's Environmental Lawyers. This historical study of 50 years of Australian environmental lawyering (1970-2020) aims to develop and preserve an unprecedented data set of environmental lawyers over multiple generations. It will create important new knowledge, challenging the common and limited treatment of lawyers as mere instruments of social causes and revealing a novel, and previously unexplored, layer of environmental governance. This new knowledge can be used by environmentalists, researchers and policy makers to better understand and engage with this important class of social reformers. It can inform environmental advocacy, governance and environmental protection. Other benefits include building capacity in Australian socio-legal historical research. Read moreRead less