Biologists Sometimes Damage Ecosystems in Order to Study Them

Question

Examlex · Accepted Answer

The Answer is There are two possible perspectives in answer to this question, both equally correct.
Possible "pro" answer: It is often difficult, if not impossible, to glean information from living systems without disassembling them or altering their normal function. These studies are ethical, because the knowledge gained is well worth the limited harm caused. Damage to one ecosystem may yield information that will prevent similar damage from occurring to many other similar systems. For example, phosphates are now banned from detergents in Florida because they caused eutrophication in the Everglades. Without research, the connection between eutrophication and phosphates could not have been demonstrated.
Possible "con" answer: Biologists, more than any other scientists, should respect the natural world. Especially now, when so many systems are stressed from human activity, it is not ethical to deliberately cause widespread destruction. It will certainly take longer to gain knowledge this way, but the alternative is unacceptable. Pollution, overpopulation, and global warming are bringing the planet near the breaking point, and we must do everything in our power to reverse these trends. Ethical limits that already exist for human and animal experimentation should be extended to ecosystems as well.

Biologists Sometimes Damage Ecosystems in Order to Study Them

Definitions: