Informed consent in research ethics: an analysis from the perspective of Luhmann’s social systems theory

We explore the origins and dynamics of ethical communication with reference to the requirements for informed consent provision in research ethics. We adopt the analytical framework developed in Luhmann’s social systems theory to illustrate how ethical communication about informed consent has develop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial theory & health Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 241 - 255
Main Authors Burr, Jennifer, Gibson, Barry
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Palgrave Macmillan UK 01.08.2018
Palgrave Macmillan
Subjects
Communication
Communication research
Ethics
Informed consent
Legal system
Luhmann, Niklas (1927-1998)
Medical Sociology
Medicine
Original Article
Personhood
Research ethics
Semantics
Social dynamics
Social Sciences
Social systems
Social systems theory
Social Theory
Sociology
System theory
Systems theory
Ethics
Informed consent
Luhmann
Human subject
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Summary:We explore the origins and dynamics of ethical communication with reference to the requirements for informed consent provision in research ethics. We adopt the analytical framework developed in Luhmann’s social systems theory to illustrate how ethical communication about informed consent has developed in the medical, legal and scientific systems. We would like to suggest that the development of ethical communication is the result of the developing semantics of individuality and personhood. Our analysis adds specific observations about how communication about research ethics, and informed consent specifically, reduces complexity in an increasingly functionally differentiated society.
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ISSN:1477-8211
1477-822X
DOI:10.1057/s41285-017-0054-1