In the case studies
of Billy using his psychic powers to help his friends, he violated the basic
human rights of the people he spied on. None of the subjects gave him
permission to spy on them. His friends gave him no compelling reason to help them
in their data collecting. When Billy did it out of a desire to please them, he
committed serious ethical breaches. The foremost was denying his subjects their
autonomy.
In the first example,
Billy used his psychic powers to ease his friend’s concern about her brother.
Alex, Michelle’s brother, has the mental capacity of a nine year old, though
the physical age of a young adult. Because of his profound disabilities, their
grandmother is Alex’s guardian. Like many people who have brain disabilities, Alex
cannot give consent except in limited circumstances. His guardian is, legally,
the only one who can.
However, Alex’s
sister, Michelle wants information to assure herself that he was not in serious
trouble. Their grandmother had called informing her that Alex was with the
police. Upset, Michelle wanted Billy to “look in” on him. However, she had not
obtained permission from the grandmother. Impatient to find out how serious the
trouble was, Michelle was too distressed to wait for her grandmother to call
back.
Does Michelle have a
reason to collect data about Alex? By asking Billy, is she acting in the “best
interests” of her brother and grandmother? The information that she did receive,
Michelle did not relay to her grandmother. Therefore her impatience is not reason
enough to rob Alex of his innate dignity. When they violated the trust of Alex
and his guardian, Billy and Michelle denied them both their autonomy.
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