Nazi Data: Dissociation From Evil
Doctor A. is a researcher currently studying hypothermia. Most of his data come from experiments with fully informed volunteers whose responses are carefully monitored as their body temperature is lowered in a cold water tank or shiver chamber. Dr. A, of course, also relies on results gathered by previous hypothermia investigators.
Among this material, however, are certainn data that trouble him. These are the observations of Nazi researches at Dachau, who casually sacrificed an unknown number of lives in hypothermia experiments. After careful review, Dr. A. believes the Nazi data are reliable. Dr. A. considers the data to be particularly important, since he is both unwilling and unable to take his research subjects as far as the Nazis took theirs; at the same time, he is appalled at the prospect that a published report of his own investigations should be linked to crimes against humanity.
Dr. A. examines several options. He could simply reconcile himself to using the Nazi data; or reject the data on moral grounds and only cite other legitimate research; or use the data but cite it only with an explicit condemnation of Nazi methods and some account of his own ethical reservations concerning its use. Dr. A. is uncertain, however, if this last option would be a sensitive gesture or would merely add an element of hypocrisy to his use of the material.
How should the Nazi data be regarded? Is the data tainted by Nazi crimes or is it morally neutral information? Should researchers treat this information any differently than data gathered in more conventional ways?
Among this material, however, are certainn data that trouble him. These are the observations of Nazi researches at Dachau, who casually sacrificed an unknown number of lives in hypothermia experiments. After careful review, Dr. A. believes the Nazi data are reliable. Dr. A. considers the data to be particularly important, since he is both unwilling and unable to take his research subjects as far as the Nazis took theirs; at the same time, he is appalled at the prospect that a published report of his own investigations should be linked to crimes against humanity.
Dr. A. examines several options. He could simply reconcile himself to using the Nazi data; or reject the data on moral grounds and only cite other legitimate research; or use the data but cite it only with an explicit condemnation of Nazi methods and some account of his own ethical reservations concerning its use. Dr. A. is uncertain, however, if this last option would be a sensitive gesture or would merely add an element of hypocrisy to his use of the material.
How should the Nazi data be regarded? Is the data tainted by Nazi crimes or is it morally neutral information? Should researchers treat this information any differently than data gathered in more conventional ways?