Pain, Pleasure, and the Greater Good: From the Panopticon to the Skinner Box and Beyond

About the Book

Pain, Pleasure, and the Greater Good: From the Panopticon to the Skinner Box and Beyond by Cathy Gere examines the history of ethical debates surrounding scientific research on human beings. The book explores how ideas about pain, pleasure, utility and the “greater good” influenced attitudes toward human experimentation over several centuries.

Science, Ethics and the Greater Good

Gere traces the development of these ideas from eighteenth-century utilitarianism through the history of medical and psychological experimentation. She examines how researchers and institutions justified experiments involving human subjects and how changing views of individual rights gradually challenged these practices.

The book considers important historical episodes and developments, including the legacy of the Panopticon, behavioural experiments associated with the Skinner Box, Nazi medical atrocities and the emergence of informed-consent requirements after World War II.

History of Medical Ethics

Rather than treating medical ethics as a purely modern concern, Gere places current debates about human experimentation within a longer history of philosophy, science and medicine. The book asks how societies should balance potential benefits to many people against the rights and suffering of individuals.

Key Features

Author: Cathy Gere; History of medical ethics; Human experimentation; Utilitarianism; Philosophy of science and medicine; Pain and pleasure; Panopticon and Skinner Box; Nazi medical experimentation; Informed consent; History of psychology and medicine.

Who Is It For?

This book is suitable for readers interested in medical history, ethics, philosophy, psychology and the history of scientific research. It may also be useful for students and researchers examining human experimentation and the development of modern research ethics.

Product Details

Author: Cathy Gere; Publisher: University of Chicago Press; Publication Year: 2017; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 304; ISBN: 9780226501857; Language: English.

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