First Contact essays

First Contact essays The topic of ethics has been around since the understanding that science needs to be a testable discipline. In order for a theory to be counted as relevant in science it must be falsifiable, meaning it must be able to be proved wrong. This is where ethics come in. A scientist must insure the physical, psychological, and emotional well being of the subject is not compromised. These ideas have not always been considered. Modern day laws and policies detour unethical experiments to humans and animals. This determent not only is apparent in the sciences but also in the world of lay person. In the movie, First Contact, we see the lack of ethics in the prospectors journey for gold. The prospectors are hardly to blame for their actions. They are results of the era they grew up in, the lack of knowledge about the Aboriginal people, and most importantly, these men were not scientists looking for a discovery. They happened upon the native people and used what instinct and little knowledge they had at the time. The movie takes us back to a time when liberties of freedom were only taken in by those who had the money to buy them. Poor people had no say, especially foreign poor people. In the 1930s there were few understandings of what ethics really were. During this time shock therapy was a popular treatment for mental disorders, and psychological testing was being done that would never be allowed now days. If scientist did not have the concept of it, how were the lay people expected to? The time era this discovery took place did not really set the stage for ethical beliefs. After all, World War II was just around the corner. It would take the most unethical experiments and observations of our time before the recognition of ethical treatment would be laid out. Those extreme cases discussed at the Nuremburg Trials would lay the ground work for future laws in all aspects of life. The prospecto ...