Citation

Dingwall R. Twenty-First Century Society 2008; 3(1): 1-12.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17450140701749189

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The system of pre-emptive ethical regulation developed in the biomedical sciences has become a major threat to research in the humanities and the social sciences (HSS). Although there is growing criticism of its effects, most commentators have tended to accept the principle of regulation. This paper argues that we should not make this concession and that ethical regulation is fundamentally wrong because the damage that it inflicts on a democratic society far exceeds any harm that HSS research is capable of causing to individuals.