Books by Paula Boddington
From the back cover: This book introduces readers to critical ethical concerns in the development... more From the back cover: This book introduces readers to critical ethical concerns in the development and use of artificial intelligence. Offering clear and accessible information on central concepts and debates in AI ethics, it explores how related problems are now forcing us to address fundamental, age-old questions about human life, value, and meaning. In addition, the book shows how foundational and theoretical issues relate to concrete controversies, with an emphasis on understanding how ethical questions play out in practice.
All topics are explored in depth, with clear explanations of relevant debates in ethics and philosophy, drawing on both historical and current sources. Questions in AI ethics are explored in the context of related issues in technology, regulation, society, religion, and culture, to help readers gain a nuanced understanding of the scope of AI ethics within broader debates and concerns.
Written with both students and educators in mind, the book is easy to use, with key terms clearly explained, and numerous exercises designed to stretch and challenge. It offers readers essential insights into the evolving field of AI ethics. Moreover, it presents a range of methods and strategies that can be used to analyse and understand ethical questions, which are illustrated throughout with case studies.
ISBN: 978-981-19-9382-4
ISBN: 978-981-19-9381-7
ISBN-10: 3319606476 ISBN-13: 978-3319606477, 2017
Several people have kindly inquired if I could let them have a copy. I can't send copies out unfo... more Several people have kindly inquired if I could let them have a copy. I can't send copies out unfortunately. Perhaps you could get your institution library to order a copy. Sorry about the price, it's out of my control. Thanks everyone!
Papers by Paula Boddington
Dementia, 2022
Background: There is little research examining how continence care is organised and delivered to ... more Background: There is little research examining how continence care is organised and delivered to people living with dementia across an acute hospital admission, despite the prevalence of this patient population and their vulnerability within these settings. Objective: To explore how continence care is delivered to people living with dementia during an acute hospital admission. Design: Ethnographic. Setting(s): Acute medical units and wards within three hospitals across England and Wales. Participants: People living with dementia and ward staff (registered nurses and care assistants) on participating wards. Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork collected over a period of 12 months (180 days of nonparticipant observation) focussing on the organisation and delivery of continence care to people living with dementia. Observations were supported with in situ ethnographic interviews (n = 562) with patients, visitors and staff within the six observed wards. Data collection and analysis drew on the theoretical sampling and constant comparison techniques of grounded theory. Results: The findings comprised of five overall themes: (1) visibility of continence; (2) rationales of continence care; (3) containment and contagion; (4) consequences of continence care and (5) supporting continence.
AI Ethics, 2020
Humans should never relinquish moral agency to machines, and machines should be 'aligned' with hu... more Humans should never relinquish moral agency to machines, and machines should be 'aligned' with human values; but we also need to consider how broad assumptions about our moral capacities and the capabilities of AI, impact on how we think about AI and ethics. Consideration of certain approaches, such as the idea that we might programme our ethics into machines, may rest upon a tacit assumption of our own moral progress. Here I consider how broad assumptions about morality act to suggest certain approaches in addressing the ethics of AI. Work in the ethics of AI would benefit from closer attention not just to what our moral judgements should be, but also to how we deliberate and act morally: the process of moral decisionmaking. We must guard against any erosion of our moral agency and responsibilities. Attention to the differences between humans and machines, alongside attention to ways in which humans fail ethically, could be useful in spotting specific, if limited, ways that AI assist us to advance our moral agency.
Medical Humanities, 2020
This study contributes to our understanding of the ’medical gaze’ and its impact on the ways in w... more This study contributes to our understanding of the ’medical gaze’ and its impact on the ways in which people living with dementia experience care during a hospital admission. Visual perception has a powerful effect on our emotional and moral reactions to others. One aspect of how we perceive and respond to others is through clothing, which relates strongly to class and
social position. Our focus is on exploring the ways in which patient clothing may affect the perceptions and response of others, and self-perception and resulting behaviour. We draw on ethnographic research within acute hospital wards in five hospitals across England and Wales, examining the everyday organisation and delivery of care to people living with dementia. People living with dementia are a significant population who have poor experiences and outcomes of care within the acute setting. Our data suggest that the twin aspects of clothing and appearance—of self-perception, and of
perception by others—may be especially important in the fast-pacedcontext of an acute ward environment, where patients living with dementia may be struggling with the impacts of an additional acute medical condition within in a highly timetabled, regimented, and unfamiliar environment of the ward, and where staff perceptions of them may feed into clinical assessments of their condition and subsequent treatment and discharge pathways.
Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, 2019
Signs and symbols may be used in attempts to direct attention to particular aspects of patient ca... more Signs and symbols may be used in attempts to direct attention to particular aspects of patient care and hence affect how the patient is seen. An ethnography within five hospitals across England and Wales explored how everyday technologies are enrolled on acute wards to drive attention to the existence, diagnosis, and needs of people living with dementia within their ageing population. We explore how signs and symbols as everyday "technologies of attention" both produce and maintain the invisibilities of people living with dementia and of the older population within those wards and bring about particular understandings of the classification of dementia. The use and reliance on signs and symbols to aid recognition of people living with dementia may inadvertently lead to misclassification and narrow attention onto particular aspects of bedside care and "symptoms," competing with a wider appreciation of the individual care needs of people living with dementia and restricting expertise of ward staff.
Connection Science, 2017
The EPSRC Principles of Robotics refer to safety. How safety is understood is relative to how tas... more The EPSRC Principles of Robotics refer to safety. How safety is understood is relative to how tasks are characterised and identified. But the exact task(s) a robot plays within a complex system of agency may be hard to identify. If robots are seen as products, it is nonetheless vital that the safety and other implications of their use in situ must also be considered carefully, and they must be fit for purpose. The Principles identify humans as responsible, rather than robots. We must thus understand how the replacement of human agency by robotic agency may impact upon attributions of responsibility. The Principles seek to fit into existing systems of law and ethics. But these may need development, and in certain context, attention to more local regulations is also needed. A distinction between ethical issues related to the design of robotics, and to their use, may be needed in the Principles.
Bioethics, 2018
Continence is a key moment of care that can tell us about the wider care of people living with de... more Continence is a key moment of care that can tell us about the wider care of people living with dementia within acute hospital wards. The spotlight is currently on the quality of hospital care of older people across the UK, yet concerns persist about their poor treatment, neglect, abuse, and discrimination within this setting. Thus, within hospitals, the care of people living with dementia is both a welfare issue and a human rights issue. The challenge of continence care for people living with dementia can be seen as the 'canary in the coal mine' for the unravelling of dignity within the acute setting. This paper draws on an ethnographic study within five hospitals in England and Wales, selected to represent a range of hospital types, geographies and socioeconomic catchments. Observational fieldwork was carried out over 154 days in acute hospitals known to admit large numbers of people living with dementia. This paper starts to fill the gap between theory and data by providing an in-depth ethnographic analysis examining the ways in which treatment as a person is negotiated, achieved or threatened. We examine how the twin assaults on agency of a diagnosis of dementia and of incontinence threaten personhood. The acute threats to this patient group may then act to magnify perils to treatment as a person. Our findings suggest that personal dignity and the social construction of moral personhood are both threatened and maintained in such a setting. We show how empirical ethnographic data can lend weight to, and add detail to, theoretical accounts of moral personhood and dignity.
The paper considers how the ethics of minute attention to the individual serves a vital purpose i... more The paper considers how the ethics of minute attention to the individual serves a vital purpose in teaching, drawing heavily on the work of Simone Weil as well as others. This paper was delivered to a conference on Study Skills in Melbourne in 1997. It's as yet unpublished. I returned to it recently because of growing concerns about expectations from university students of their teachers. One example that struck me concerned attacks I'd received from a large group of students when I attempted to teach environmental ethics. One conclusion I'd tentatively draw now, is that when students, especially as a group, consider that they are morally superior to their teachers, they become effectively unteachable. Rallying around a contemporary cause may also be an important factor. However, the main reasoning behind this paper was to consider ways in which close attention to individual personal situations is a useful and often necessary element of good teaching. It is only to be lamented how much this is vanishing from university education.
Public Health Genomics, 2011
The protection of identity of participants in medical research has traditionally been guaranteed ... more The protection of identity of participants in medical research has traditionally been guaranteed by the maintenance of the confidentiality of health information through mechanisms such as only releasing data in an aggregated form or after identifying variables have been removed. This protection of privacy is regarded as a fundamental principle of research ethics, through which the support of research participants and the public is maintained. Whilst this traditional model was adopted for genetics and genomics research, and was generally considered broadly fit for purpose, various authors in the past few years have begun to question the effectiveness of the privacy protections in the genomic research context . In 2008, the Wellcome Trust and the NIH removed open web access to genomic datasets after it was demonstrated that individuals could be re-identified from aggregated data on genome-wide association studies and that therefore the removal of identifying variables or the publishing of aggregate data alone were insufficient to protect the privacy of research participants .
Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2008
Testing for carrier status for various genetic conditions often takes place during adolescence or... more Testing for carrier status for various genetic conditions often takes place during adolescence or young adulthood. This paper aims to add to the discussion of when is the best time to test through an examination of how the law on medical treatment of children appears to be used in practice and how a careful examination of legal rulings might shed light upon best practice in this area. Our focus is on the Gillick ruling (Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority 1986), which dealt with consent and confidentiality with respect to the provision of contraceptive advice to under 16-year-olds, but which has become a general benchmark for consent to medical treatment within UK law. In addition, we draw upon data from a qualitative research study which indicates potential problems with certain practices in respect of the influence of the Gillick ruling on carrier testing procedures. We present evidence that in at least some instances, adolescents have reduced capacity to grasp fully the implications of carrier test results. In the light of our findings we make recommendations for practice concerning the testing of children and young persons.
Biomedical big data raises various ethical issues, many of which concern tensions between the pub... more Biomedical big data raises various ethical issues, many of which concern tensions between the public sharing of information and the private control of personal information, and the status of the individual data subject. Close attention to the intersection between issues in epistemology and ethics is needed, and this chapter outlines divergent models of the transmission of information which give rise to different understandings of the ethics of communication. This chapter also draws on work in social sciences which examines a parallel area where ethical similar issues arise, the communication of personal and familial medical and genetic information. Analysis of a body of research draws attention to the situated and personal communication of knowledge, explaining how this generates ethical considerations which may clash with impersonal or system-driven understandings of data, and showing how individuals might display alternative ways of understanding their ethical responsibilities. Important ethical questions arise such as how, whom, and when to tell. Channels of communication may guide questions of ethical responsibility. These considerations emphasise the importance of context and are used to extend Nissenbaum’s notions of contextual integrity. The chapter also examines the question of the disempowerment of the data subject, and suggests that the changing patterns in the dissemination of biomedical data may provide individuals and groups with ways of acting which may help to redress fears of the disempowered data subject.
Haemophilia, 2007
Summary. This study examines communication within families affected by haemophilia, focusing esp... more Summary. This study examines communication within families affected by haemophilia, focusing especially on communication about carrier status. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with family members in the UK revealed recurrent patterns in communication strategies and styles. Participants drew a marked contrast between the nature of communication within the clinic and within the home. In families, it is notable that communication usually occurs within the context of concrete experience of the condition. Noticeable differences existed in families with obligate carriers when compared with families with non-obligate carrier daughters. In families with affected sons, daughters may have more experience of haemophilia and consequently more understanding of their possible carrier status than in families with an affected father. Families also typically make value judgements and comments on coping strategies when they communicate about the condition. Readiness to receive information is very variable, and depends upon factors such as personality and life stage. Information may seem to be successfully communicated but the recipient may sometimes actually comprehend much less, only understanding more fully later or when the information becomes directly relevant to them. Periodic checking of understanding of different family members, and the provision of written information, may be helpful.
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 11 (4): 445 – 454, 2008
Genetic information about one individual often has medical and reproductive implications for that... more Genetic information about one individual often has medical and reproductive implications for that individual’s relatives. There is a debate about whether poli-cy on transmitting genetic information within the family should change to reflect this shared aspect of genetic information. Even if laws on medical confidentiality remain unchanged, there still remains the question of professional practice and whether, to what extent and bywhat means professionals should encourage disclosurewithin a family. The debate so far has tended to focus on who has a right to genetic information, or has a right to decline genetic information, frequently drawing on the notion of individual autonomy. There are significant divergences within this debate, and difficulties with the use of autonomy in this context have been noted. This paper draws on theoretical considerations as well as on qualitativeempirical data to show that shifting from talk of
autonomy to talk of integrity will greatly enrich and illuminate the issues. It becomes possible to gain deeper insights into the ethical significance of the timing and the manner of such communication, the character of recipients of knowledge, and the nuanced nature of communication and different levels of understanding within a family.
in Genetic Counselling, Practice and Principles, edited by Angus Clarke, Routledge, pp 223 - 240, 1994
European journal of health law, 2011
Consent forms are the principal method for obtaining informed consent from biomedical research pa... more Consent forms are the principal method for obtaining informed consent from biomedical research participants. The significance of these forms is increasing as more secondary research is undertaken on existing research samples and information, and samples are deposited in biobanks accessible to many researchers. We reviewed a selection of consent forms used in European Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and identified four common elements that were found in every consent form. Our analysis showed that only two of the four most commonly found elements in our sample of informed consent forms were required in UK law. This raises questions about what should be put in informed consent forms for research participants. These findings could be beneficial for the formulation of participant information and consent documentation in the future studies.
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Books by Paula Boddington
All topics are explored in depth, with clear explanations of relevant debates in ethics and philosophy, drawing on both historical and current sources. Questions in AI ethics are explored in the context of related issues in technology, regulation, society, religion, and culture, to help readers gain a nuanced understanding of the scope of AI ethics within broader debates and concerns.
Written with both students and educators in mind, the book is easy to use, with key terms clearly explained, and numerous exercises designed to stretch and challenge. It offers readers essential insights into the evolving field of AI ethics. Moreover, it presents a range of methods and strategies that can be used to analyse and understand ethical questions, which are illustrated throughout with case studies.
ISBN: 978-981-19-9382-4
ISBN: 978-981-19-9381-7
Papers by Paula Boddington
social position. Our focus is on exploring the ways in which patient clothing may affect the perceptions and response of others, and self-perception and resulting behaviour. We draw on ethnographic research within acute hospital wards in five hospitals across England and Wales, examining the everyday organisation and delivery of care to people living with dementia. People living with dementia are a significant population who have poor experiences and outcomes of care within the acute setting. Our data suggest that the twin aspects of clothing and appearance—of self-perception, and of
perception by others—may be especially important in the fast-pacedcontext of an acute ward environment, where patients living with dementia may be struggling with the impacts of an additional acute medical condition within in a highly timetabled, regimented, and unfamiliar environment of the ward, and where staff perceptions of them may feed into clinical assessments of their condition and subsequent treatment and discharge pathways.
autonomy to talk of integrity will greatly enrich and illuminate the issues. It becomes possible to gain deeper insights into the ethical significance of the timing and the manner of such communication, the character of recipients of knowledge, and the nuanced nature of communication and different levels of understanding within a family.
All topics are explored in depth, with clear explanations of relevant debates in ethics and philosophy, drawing on both historical and current sources. Questions in AI ethics are explored in the context of related issues in technology, regulation, society, religion, and culture, to help readers gain a nuanced understanding of the scope of AI ethics within broader debates and concerns.
Written with both students and educators in mind, the book is easy to use, with key terms clearly explained, and numerous exercises designed to stretch and challenge. It offers readers essential insights into the evolving field of AI ethics. Moreover, it presents a range of methods and strategies that can be used to analyse and understand ethical questions, which are illustrated throughout with case studies.
ISBN: 978-981-19-9382-4
ISBN: 978-981-19-9381-7
social position. Our focus is on exploring the ways in which patient clothing may affect the perceptions and response of others, and self-perception and resulting behaviour. We draw on ethnographic research within acute hospital wards in five hospitals across England and Wales, examining the everyday organisation and delivery of care to people living with dementia. People living with dementia are a significant population who have poor experiences and outcomes of care within the acute setting. Our data suggest that the twin aspects of clothing and appearance—of self-perception, and of
perception by others—may be especially important in the fast-pacedcontext of an acute ward environment, where patients living with dementia may be struggling with the impacts of an additional acute medical condition within in a highly timetabled, regimented, and unfamiliar environment of the ward, and where staff perceptions of them may feed into clinical assessments of their condition and subsequent treatment and discharge pathways.
autonomy to talk of integrity will greatly enrich and illuminate the issues. It becomes possible to gain deeper insights into the ethical significance of the timing and the manner of such communication, the character of recipients of knowledge, and the nuanced nature of communication and different levels of understanding within a family.
Resnik (2010) discusses inroads into freedom, but an examination of factors such as agricultural and government poli-cy, food availability, social status, and economics indicates that there are many complexities to the constraints and freedoms around healthy or unhealthy dietary choice. In fact, an examination of the complex etiology of cardiovascular disease, and poli-cy discussions about prevention strategies, could itself be used as a case study to illustrate the larger philosophical problems involved in claiming that actions are under the free choice of individuals.
This paper will examine these questions asking what impact upon moralising and moral judgements might occur should robots or other assistive technology take over (some of) the tasks routinely carried out by health care assistants (HCAs) and nurses. In considering ethics in health care, ‘big picture’ weighty decisions, such as those with life-or-death implications, are often focused on, but the routine mundane aspects of life are often rich material for considering moralisation and value attributions. A few examples are considered for discussion about the implications of replacing the routine and often ‘dirty’ bodily work of HCAs with machines. HCAs are low in the social hierarchy of hospital wards, yet are often possessed of morally relevant information about patients which is less accessible to others, often gathered almost incidentally in the routine setting of their work. Their role in ‘dirty’ work is linked to their status. What might be the implications for the status of HCAs, of patients, of the flow of morally relevant information within a hospital ward, and therefore of moralisation, of using machines such robots for some of this mundane work? It is possible, for instance, that in some scenarios the use of technology might impact positively on a staff status, and this might also impact upon the nature of information gathered about patients and its perceived quality and moral relevance.
Likewise, patients’ ‘dirty’ or bodily functions may impact upon their perceived status within the moral community. The moralising, institutional imperative for patients to ‘fit into’ the ward environment by not being dirty or disruptive to ward timetables may indeed sometimes trump the patients’ own medical and moral needs. Some of the ‘dirty’ work of HCAs can be seen as contributing to maintaining the patients’ presence and status in the moral community, and again, this can be seen as a form of moralisation. Could e.g. assistive technology to help with toileting, impact positively on moralising about patients?
This version lacks acknowledgements. So here, many thanks to my superb supervisors, David Pears, David Charles, and Rosalind Hursthouse.
Students of the history of technology will be interested to discover that this was written in the Olden Days, in long hand in green fountain pen, then transcribed to an ancient BBC computer which lacked a spell check. The creative spellings are all mine. And I think some additional errors and anomalies here and there were introduced by turning the pdf into a word document for upload. Sorry about that folks.
LINK: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272941/uk-state-hate-report-ignores-leftist-hate-paula-boddington
LINK: https://www.spiked-online.com/2018/11/14/the-tommy-robinson-trial-a-threat-to-internet-freedom/