The ethics and epistemology of placebos
There is an ongoing tension between the ethics and epistemology of placebo-controlled trials (PCTs). The clinicians’ moral duty to provide the best available care seems to preclude using placebo controls when there is an established effective treatment. Yet the Declaration of Helsinki appeals to ‘methodological and scientific’ reasons to justify using placebo controls even if there is an established therapy. In this session we will examine the justifications for the claim that placebo controlled trials enjoy methodological benefits over and above trials that used established
therapies as controls.

Core reading: Howick J (2009). Questioning the Methodologic Superiority of ‘Placebo’ Over ‘Active’ Controlled Trials. American Journal of Bioethics 9(9):34-48. doi: 10.1080/15265160903090041. PMID: 19998192
Date: 24 November 2015, 16:30 (Tuesday, 7th week, Michaelmas 2015)
Venue: All Souls College, High Street OX1 4AL
Venue Details: Hovenden Room
Speakers: Professor Alexander Bird (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford), Dr Jeremy Howick (Nuffield Dept. of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford.)
Organising department: Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
Organiser contact email address: jeremy.howick@phc.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Topics in the philosophy of medicine
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Dan Richards-Doran