Garðar Árnason

About Me

Garðar Árnason

I am a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Akureyri.

My research interests are in ethics (in particular moral status, responsibility, and free will), medical ethics (including ethical issues in neuroscience and genetics, research ethics, and public health ethics) and the philosophy of education.

I have a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto.

@gardara

Publications

Books

Foucault and the Human Subject of Science. Dordrecht: Springer, 2018.

Arguments and Analysis in Bioethics. (Co-editor with Matti Häyry, Tuija Takala and Peter Herissone-Kelly). Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2010.

Ethics and Governance of Human Genetic Databases: European Perspectives. (Co-editor with Matti Häyry, Ruth Chadwick and Vilhjálmur Árnason). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Blood and Data: Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetic Databases. (Co-editor with Salvör Nordal and Vilhjálmur Árnason). Reykjavik: University of Iceland Press, 2004.

Ógöngur. Icelandic translation of Gilbert Ryle’s Dilemmas, with an introduction (pp. 9–41) and notes. Reykjavík: Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, 2000.

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

“Public engagement with brain organoid research and application: Lessons from Genome Editing,” with Corinna Klingler, Lara Wiese and Robert Ranisch, AJOB Neuroscience 13, 2 (2022); doi: 10.1080/21507740.2022.2048733.

"Moral Status of Cognitively Enhanced Nonhuman Primates and Other Novel Beings," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 30, 3 (2021), pp. 492-503; doi: 10.1017/S0963180120001048. OPEN ACCESS.

"Asking the right questions about research with nonhuman primates," with Sara Tinnemeyer and Jens Clausen, AJOB Neuroscience 11, 3 (2020), pp. 189–191; doi: 10.1080/21507740.2020.1778125.

"The emergence and development of animal research ethics: A review with a focus on nonhuman primates," Science and Engineering Ethics 26 (2020), pp. 2277–2293; doi: 10.1007/s11948-020-00219-z. OPEN ACCESS.

"Regulating clinical innovation: Trachea transplants and tissue engineering," American Journal of Bioethics 19, 6 (2019), pp. 32–34; doi: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1602179.

"Human-Animal Parallels in Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics," American Journal of Bioethics 18, 2 (2018), pp. 64–65; doi: 10.1080/15265161.2017.1409834.

"Objections Still Fail: A Response to Faria," Journal of Medical Ethics 44 (2018), pp. 334–335; doi: 10.1136/medethics-2017-104586.

"The Ethical Justification for the Use of Nonhuman Primates in Research: The Weatherall Report Revisited," Journal of Medical Ethics 44 (2018), pp. 328–331; doi: 10.1136/medethics-2016-103827.

"Synthetic Biology Between Self-Regulation and Public Discourse: Ethical Issues and the Many Roles of the Ethicist," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 26, 2 (2017), pp. 246–256; doi: 10.1017/s0963180116000840.

"The Role and Obligations of Ethicists as Members of Ethics Committees in Professional Organizations," AJOB Neuroscience 8, 1 (2017), pp. 18–20; doi: 10.1080/21507740.2017.1285827.

"Biopolitics and the Longevity of Left-Handers" in Péter Kakuk (ed.): Bioethics and Biopolitics (Dordrecht: Springer, 2017), pp. 59–76; doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-66249-7_5.

"Animal Research and the Political Theory of Animal Rights" in Gabriel Garmendia da Trindade and Andrew Woodhall (eds.): Ethical and Political Approaches to Nonhuman Animal Issues (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), pp. 327–345; doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-54549-3. ISBN: 978-3-319-54548-6.

"On Balance: Weighing Harms and Benefits in Fundamental Neurological Research Using Nonhuman Primates," with Jens Clausen, Medicine, Healthcare and Philosophy 19, 2 (2016), pp. 229–237.

"Exploring Central Philosophical Concepts in Benefit Sharing: Vulnerability, Exploitation and Undue Inducement," with Doris Schroeder, in Doris Schroeder and Julie Cook Lucas (eds.): Benefit Sharing – From Biodiversity to Human Genetics (Dordrecht: Springer, 2013), pp. 9–31.

"Donating Human Samples: Who Benefits? Cases from Iceland, Kenya and Indonesia," with Julie Cook Lucas, Doris Schroeder, Pamela Andanda, Joshua Kimani, Veronique Fournier and Meena Krishnamurthy, in Doris Schroeder and Julie Cook Lucas (eds.): Benefit Sharing – From Biodiversity to Human Genetics (Dordrecht: Springer, 2013), pp. 95–128.

"Neuroscience, Free Will and Moral Responsibility," Trames 15(65/60), 2 (2011), pp. 147–155.

"Neuroimaging, Uncertainty, and the Problem of Dispositions," Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 19, 2 (2010), pp. 188–195.

"The Concept of Resilience: A Functional Account," Journal of the University of the Philippines Manila special issue (2009), pp. 105–117.

"Undue Fear of Inducements in Research in Developing Countries," with Anton van Niekerk, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 18, 2 (2009), pp. 122–129.

"Studying People: Hacking, Human Kinds and Looping Effects," in J. Ólafsson and J. Räikkä (eds.): Rationality in Global and Local Contexts, Reports from the Department of Philosophy (Turku: University of Turku, 2007).

"Genetics, Rhetoric and Policy," in M. Häyry, R. Chadwick, V. Arnason and G. Arnason (eds.): Ethics and Governance of Human Genetic Databases: European Perspectives (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).

"On Human Genetic Genetic Databases," in M. Häyry, R. Chadwick, V. Arnason and G. Arnason (eds.): Ethics and Governance of Human Genetic Databases: European Perspectives (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).

"Second Thoughts on Biobanks – The Icelandic Experience," in Edna Einsiedel & Frank Timmermans (eds): Crossing Over: Genomics in the Public Arena (Calgary, AB: Calgary University Press, 2005).

"Interbreeding within the Icelandic population is high compared to that of mice or fruit-flies," in G. Árnason, S. Nordal and V. Árnason (eds.): Blood and Data: Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetic Databases (Reykjavik: University of Iceland Press, 2004).

"Democratic Consent? The Case of the Icelandic Database Project," with Vilhjálmur Árnason, Trames 8, 1/2 (2004), pp. 164–177.

"Science, Critique, Truth" ("Vísindi, gagnrýni, sannleikur"), Hugur 15 (2003), pp. 197–215.

"What’s new in science and technology" ("Nýjasta tækni og vísindi"), Hugur 14 (2002), pp. 25–46.

"Community Consent, Democracy and Public Dialogue: The Case of the Icelandic Health Sector Database," with Vilhjálmur Árnason, Politeia XVII, 63 (2001), pp. 105–116.

"Ludwik Fleck’s Sociology of Science," in Berit Brogaard (ed.): Rationality and Irrationality, Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Volume 8, Part 1. Kirchberg am Wechsel: Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society 2000.

Other Academic Publications

"Biopower (Foucault)" in Ruth Chadwick (ed.): Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, Second Edition, volume 1 (San Diego: Academic Press, 2012). pp. 295–299.

"Arguing About Arguments, Analyzing Analysis," with Matti Häyry, Tuija Takala and Peter Herissone-Kelly, in Matti Häyry, Tuija Takala, Peter Herissone-Kelly and Gardar Arnason (eds.): Arguments and Analysis in Bioethics (Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2010), pp. 1–7.

"Guest Editorial: Vulnerability Revisited," with Doris Schroeder, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 18, 2 (2009), pp. 110–111.

Review of Colin Gavaghan: Defending the Genetic Supermarket (Routledge-Cavendish 2007), Medical Law Review 16:1 (2008), pp. 162–168.

"Icelandic Biobank: A Report for GenBenefit", 2007, available at: www.uclan.ac.uk/genbenefit.

"Goðsögn Descartes" an Icelandic translation of the first chapter of Gilbert Ryle’s The Concept of Mind ("Descartes' Myth"), in Einar Logi Vignisson and Ólafur Páll Jónsson (eds.): Heimspeki á tuttugustu öld (Reykjavík: Heimskringla, 1994).