Michael+Usewick+RP+Post+1


 * Presentation of Research Findings:**
 * I am leaning toward writing an Extended Definition paper, using the against the grain approach.
 * I want to write this type of paper because the "against the grain" type of paper intrigued me when we first read about it in class as I am generally interested in the "what if it is otherwise?" and BNW/1984 ways of thinking. I chose to write an extended definition using this method because I feel this type of paper will allow for a very intriguing look into the question I end up researching.
 * Such an approach allows me to research and learn about a very prominent or well-known topic, in a manner that seems strange, but upon further inquiry is shockingly believable/credible. This is the kind of research that fascinates me, and it will allow me to look at something commonplace with a new lens, if my research project is successful.


 * The Pursuit of new knowledge**
 * Possible RQ's
 * 1) To what extent can the individual impact large-scale political change in today's society?
 * 2) To what extent should we focus our efforts on curing diseases such as cancer and AIDS?
 * 3) __In the furthering of science, to what extent should we consider morality/ethics?__
 * 4) To what extent should we consider giving aid to third world countries?


 * Background & Early Knowledge**


 * I already know that ethics plays a big role in the politics of current science and scientific investigation, this is because of laws set forth by governments, restricting "non-ethical" means of study. These rules and regulations are thought to be very important to protecting various items, be it people or animals, but are they really? In the past, there have been many examples of not-quite-ethical investigations resulting in scientific discovery that has benefited humans far beyond any visible costs. It is for these types of investigations, those with the possibility of becoming great, that I want to research the idea of throwing some degree of ethics out the window in order to generate the next great discovery that could potentially save more lives, or improve more lives than anything previously.
 * There are many forms of ethics in science, including such concepts as openness, honesty, confidentiality, and respect, and I believe that all of these should remain as they are. The part that I think we should look at more skeptically, however, is the idea of governments and other agencies being able to shut down an investigation on the grounds of it being not ethical, this is where the majority of the controversy lies, and this is what I will be researching.


 * The Rationale**
 * I want to research this question because I am very interested in science, and this year in my Genetics/Bio classes a major topic has been ethics and the importance thereof in scientific investigation. I want to do an against the grain research project on this topic because I think it would be very interesting to see the other side of the argument, the side less argued because many people are scared to throw away ethics for something that would, on the surface, appear less attractive, but when analyzed further, may be much more beneficial.
 * My motivation is based on personal interest and experience with the classes I have taken, as well as with the texts we have read this year (namely BNW and 1984). These texts have helped me to want to look at things from a "what if it is otherwise?" point of view, and the classes I have taken have introduced me, and made me intrigued with the concepts of ethics and morality applied to science.
 * I can see that I may focus on historical projects which were not so ethical, but helped humanity greatly, or on current/future projects that have the potential to reshape how we think about the world, but could be shut down on the basis of ethics. I could also take this paper on a more philosophical trail, using great thinkers' ideas to support the idea that ethics in science is not what it should be by extended definition, or possibly a change to a position paper.
 * The potential drawbacks of this approach include the difficulty of finding examples, as many organizations attempt to hide projects that were shut down on the basis of ethics to avoid looking bad, as well as having to change my paper from an extended definition, to a position paper.
 * I would pursue this topic to the end because I have already spent countless hours researching and writing about the benefits and importance of ethics in science that I want nothing more now than to show that that point of view is wrong. I am already ingrained into this topic, so I see no reason why I would quit after an entire school year of studying.