ETHICS
Quotes
"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do."
(Potter Stewart)
Source
Famous Example
[Photo credit to Strange Remains]
Skeleton of Charles Byrne
These are the remains of Charles Byrne, who was a giant of 7' 7", collected by 18th century anatomist John Hunter, on display at the Huntarian Museum in London. The museum displays many preserved body parts. There are various ethical concerns about displaying Byrne's skeleton in the museum.
Hunter acquired the remains by bribing Byrne's wards, despite knowing Byrne's last wish was to be buried at sea. Is it ethical for the museum to keep this skeleton, so anyone can come and ogle the bones of a man whose dying wish was to be elsewhere? Some argue the medical discoveries made from keeping the skeleton outweigh these concerns.
However, now all possible medical insights have been gained (including DNA extraction), is it right to ignore Byrne's wish? If it is deemed unethical to keep him on display, how many more of the Huntarian's collection will be deemed unethical? What about the mummies in the British Museum - taken not only from their resting places but also from a different country? Try and think of more ethical questions as you go through this exhibition.
Ethics as theme
Ethics are moral principles that govern behaviour or activity. Throughout this exhibition, you should be able to notice how ethics comes into play in 2 main ways. Firstly, the ethics of displaying the selected objects in the collection and secondly, what the objects themselves can tell us about ethics from the time period they belong to.
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The Museums Association's ethics committee have developed 10 rules as a code of ethics for museums:
1. Hold collections for the benefit of society
2. Focus on public service
3. Encourage people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment
4. Consult and involve communities
5. Aquire items honestly and responsibly
6. Ensure long term public interest is protected
7. Recognise the interests of people who made, used, owned, collected or gave the objects
8. Protect natural and human environments
9. Research info related to collections, showing diverse views
10. Review performance to improve
Do you think all of the objects in this collection follow these rules?
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These are the rules museums should follow today. When you are looking through the objects in this collection, make sure to think about how these rules may have been different during the time the object is from. What do you think our idea of what is ethical will be like in 100, or even 1000 years from now? Are you ethical in your every day life?
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