HOW MANY NAILS DOES IT TAKE TO SEAL THE COFFIN? Review of Perry, R. J. (2015).Killer apes, naked people & just plain nasty people: The misuse and abuse of science in political discourse. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD

Moral orientations in psychology: contrasting theoretical perspectives

BACKGROUND

The relational development systems (RDS) metamodel embodies a newly recognized scientific paradigm that stands in contrast to the nature-nurture split. It suggests that the bidirectional relationship between an organism and its environment must be the central focus of scientific inquiry.

MAIN BODY

RDS theorists suggest scientists have a moral obligation to benefit human kind. However, the potential for interventions that appear efficacious to simultaneously instigate an undesirable outcome suggests that moral clarity might not always exist in scientific practice. Contrasting RDS perspectives with life history theory highlights a pertaining disparity in approaches.

CONCLUSION

While the RDS metamodel posits many premises necessary to contemporary research, it may not yet be pragmatic to impose moral obligation on the sciences.