ETHICS

ETHICS
Ethics are a very complicated issue and Agar seems to think that “…the guidelines for the protection of human subjects were not designed with ethnography in mind”.(p.107). Even though “true objectivity” cannot be achieved, it is still desired and sought after and using the guidelines of proper ethics, I do not believe that one can “afford” to be truly ethical. I am so far from reaching any positive solution regarding the subject of ethics that I guess I will try and formulate some sort of opinion or solution when I have gained some experience in the field. What an exasperating subject. Of course I can see how some of the famously unethical projects were regarded with distaste, however, I do not know that anyone has yet to find a logical solution to the problem of ethics without the true nature of ethnography being compromised. However, Agar pledges honesty in all areas of fieldwork methods and I might have to agree with him.