{"id":1575,"date":"2025-07-11T01:22:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T01:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/?post_type=docs&#038;p=1575"},"modified":"2025-07-11T01:56:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T01:56:45","password":"","slug":"transdisciplinary-thinking-what-ethical-constraints-should-there-be-on-the-pursuit-of-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/docs\/transdisciplinary-thinking-what-ethical-constraints-should-there-be-on-the-pursuit-of-knowledge\/","title":{"rendered":"What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Lesson Focus: <\/strong><em>What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?<\/em><\/p><p>Suggested Length: 1 hour<\/p><p>Learning objectives:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Examine the impact of ethical constraints on the pursuit of knowledge.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Examine how recurring ethical concerns guide or limit the pursuit of knowledge in society.<\/li>\n<\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e9f1fb\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Approaches to Learning<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Vocabulary<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Reflection Questions<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Thinking Skills<\/strong><br>Analyze ethical dilemmas in relation to the pursuit of knowledge and evaluate pros and cons.<br><br><strong>Self-management<\/strong><br>Reflect on the ethical implications of various pursuits of knowledge.<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">ethics<br>constraint<br>benefit<br>risk<br>responsibility<br>implication<br>consent<br>duty<br>rights<br>values<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">What potential consequences might arise from adhering strictly to one ethical perspective over another?<br><br>Is it possible to respect differing ethical views while advancing the pursuit of knowledge?<br><br>How has this discussion influenced your own understanding of ethical constraints in knowledge pursuit?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure><style>#sp-ea-1636 .spcollapsing { height: 0; overflow: hidden; transition-property: height;transition-duration: 300ms;}#sp-ea-1636.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; }#sp-ea-1636.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a {color: #444;}#sp-ea-1636.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.sp-collapse>.ea-body {background: #fff; color: #444;}#sp-ea-1636.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {background: #eee;}#sp-ea-1636.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a .ea-expand-icon { float: left; color: #444;font-size: 16px;}<\/style><div id=\"sp_easy_accordion-1752143152\"><div id=\"sp-ea-1636\" class=\"sp-ea-one sp-easy-accordion\" data-ea-active=\"ea-click\" data-ea-mode=\"vertical\" data-preloader=\"\" data-scroll-active-item=\"\" data-offset-to-scroll=\"0\"><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-16360\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse16360\" aria-controls=\"collapse16360\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Preparation Task<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse16360\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-16360\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clone the Kialo discussion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kialo-edu.com\/p\/5adde276-7c5c-42bd-af28-51f9b1cf2cd1\/256665\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\"What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?\"<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and share it with your students.<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For larger groups, you may wish to use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/en\/hc\/small-group-mode\/\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small Group Mode<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/en\/hc\/about-tasks\/\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tasks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to set minimum expectations for students during the session.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-16361\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse16361\" aria-controls=\"collapse16361\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Introduction<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse16361\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-16361\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Snowball discussion activity: What responsibilities do we have as a society when it comes to advancing knowledge through research and technology?<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Give students two minutes to note down their own ideas. They should join with a partner to discuss each other&rsquo;s ideas and add to their notes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, each pair should join to make a group of four and repeat the discussion and complete their notes.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask each group to feedback one idea in response to the question. They must not repeat ideas that have already been shared.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-16362\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse16362\" aria-controls=\"collapse16362\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Main Activity<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse16362\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-16362\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students will participate in the Kialo multi-thesis discussion: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kialo-edu.com\/p\/5adde276-7c5c-42bd-af28-51f9b1cf2cd1\/256665\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?<\/span><\/a><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You will need to clone the discussion and share it with your students.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For larger groups, you may also wish to use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/en\/hc\/small-group-mode\/\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small Group Mode.<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/en\/hc\/about-tasks\/\" target=\"&ldquo;_blank&rdquo;\" referrerpolicy=\"unsafe-url\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tasks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to set minimum expectations for students during the session.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Divide students into four groups and allocate each group one scenario from the discussion.<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They should examine their scenario by adding pros and cons to the discussion in relation to the main question.<\/span><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scenario 1: A journal article reports the outcomes of a medical trial for an experimental new drug, with potential to revolutionize treatment for a serious illness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scenario 2: A research team completes a groundbreaking study on genetic editing, demonstrating the potential to alter human embryos to eliminate hereditary diseases.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scenario 3: Anthropologists conduct a study in a conflict-ridden area, documenting cultural practices of communities living under threat.<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scenario 4: A tech company working in mental health diagnostics develops artificial intelligence capable of real-time emotion recognition through surveillance cameras.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provide students with these questions to guide students' responses as required:&nbsp;<\/span><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are the potential benefits of sharing the findings, and how do they compare to the ethical risks involved?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How might vulnerable groups be impacted, and what ethical responsibilities do researchers have to protect them?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What challenges do researchers face in obtaining informed consent?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How do we balance the pursuit of knowledge for the public good with the need to respect individual rights and privacy?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are the potential long-term societal implications of the knowledge gained, and how should researchers account for these in their work?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What ethical frameworks can be applied to evaluate the actions and decisions made, and how might they lead to different conclusions?<\/span><\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What role should regulatory bodies play in overseeing the research and publication of findings to ensure ethical standards are met?<br><\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the discussion is complete, ask students to identify common themes, principles, and arguments between the four distinct scenarios that coherently link at least three of them. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-16363\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse16363\" aria-controls=\"collapse16363\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Reflection Activity<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse16363\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-16363\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask students to use the completed discussion to identify points of divergence with respect to themes, principles, and arguments.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What potential consequences might arise from adhering strictly to one ethical perspective over another?<p><\/p><\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Is it possible to respect differing ethical views while advancing the pursuit of knowledge?<p><\/p><\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How has this discussion influenced your own understanding of ethical constraints in knowledge pursuit?<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lesson Focus: What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?Suggested Length: 1 hourLearning objectives: Approaches to Learning Vocabulary Reflection Questions Thinking SkillsAnalyze ethical dilemmas in relation to the pursuit of knowledge and evaluate pros and cons. Self-managementReflect on the ethical implications of various pursuits of knowledge. ethicsconstraintbenefitriskresponsibilityimplicationconsentdutyrightsvalues What potential consequences might arise [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"wds_primary_doc_category":0,"wds_primary_doc_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[31],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1575","docs","type-docs","status-publish","hentry","doc_category-transdiscipline-think"],"acf":[],"year_month":"2026-05","word_count":118,"total_views":"13","reactions":{"happy":"0","normal":"0","sad":"0"},"author_info":{"name":"Amnah Ejaz","author_nicename":"ae","author_url":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/author\/ae\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Transfer and Interdisciplinarity","term_url":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/docs-category\/transdiscipline-think\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"knowledge_base_info":[],"knowledge_base_slug":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=1575"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/resources.kialo-edu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=1575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}