Humanity Institute

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD bioethics Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute shuts its doors Michael Cook A powerhouse at Oxford generating controversial bioethical ideas has closed its doors. The Future of Humanity Institute, headed by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, opened in 2005 and was wound up earlier this month. A valedictory message on the FHI website said

World Medical Association calls for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza

The World Medical Association has called for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution was initiated by the British Medical Association. Dr Lujain AlQodmani, the Kuwaiti president of the WMA, declared that: “WMA is demanding a bilateral, negotiated, and sustainable ceasefire in order to protect all civilians, secure the release and safe passage of all

Weekly World Watch for the end of April to beginning of May 2024

In April President Biden had said he expected an attack on Israel from Iran “sooner than later” as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel in a prelude to a feared Iranian revenge attack. Israel is braced for a potentially major escalation in its conflict with Iran after a US intelligence assessment warned that Tehran could

The role of whistleblowers in uncovering medical scandals

Doctors can be socialized to cooperate in morally despicable evil, says bioethicist May 9, 2024 – Michael Cook Bioethicist Carl Elliott seems to relish stirring up fellow bioethicists and the medical profession. In his latest book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No, he examines the role of whistleblowers in uncovering

Are American bioethicists out of touch

Outsiders often complain that bioethicists are out of touch with and unrepresentative of mainstream America. The authors of a fascinating article in AJOB surveyed bioethicists to get an idea of the background of their colleagues. The result? Yes, they are unrepresentative. In one telling finding, 87% of bioethicists described themselves as politically liberal — compared

The EBU farce

Eurovision Song Contest hit by mass protest against Israel’s Gaza genocide Eden Golan was set to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in May. The day after Putin invaded Ukraine, Russia was banned from Eurovision “in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”. Banning Russia while allowing Israel to participate in Eurovision is a

Democrats and Republicans: US enablers of Israeli onslaught on Rafah

The week begins as Israel is stepping up its genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza, both in Rafah, the last unoccupied portion of the enclave, and throughout the Gaza Strip. A catastrophe of monumental proportions is unfolding in southern Gaza. Over the weekend, another 300,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee from Rafah as

World calls on Israel to halt its slaughter of helpless

Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel did not want to know about it and continued its genocide plan..

European project at risk of “an implosion”.

For months now, we have seen the rise of far-right thinking in several countries in Europe. Several politicians are also trying to make people believe that Europe is a bad thing for their countries. The future of the EU is being jeopardised by people stirring up social tensions for short-term political gain, Spain’s environment minister

‘Full-blown’ special needs crisis in England

Shortages and funding cuts are causing a “full-blown crisis” in special needs education for children and young people in England, according to school leaders who say they are struggling to give pupils the support they require. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, accused the government of treating schools as