University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 5-2004 The cost of wisdom : a comparative theoretical analysis of research ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary. Steven A. Drewry University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd Recommended Citation Drewry, Steven A., "The cost of wisdom : a comparative theoretical analysis of research ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary." (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 372. https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/372 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE COST OF WISDOM A Comparative Theoretical Analysis of Research Ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary By Steven A. Drewry B.A., Indiana University, 1977 M.S.W., Ohio State University, 1983 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Kent School of Social Work University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky May, 2004 Copyright 2004 by Steven A. Drewry All Rights Reserved THE COST OF WISDOM A Comparative Theoretical Analysis of Research Ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary By Steven A. Drewry B.A., Indiana University, 1977 M.S.W., Ohio State University, 1983 A Dissertation Approved on April 5, 2004 by the following Dissertation Committee Thomas Lawson, Ph.D. Anna Faul, Ph.D. Pam Yankeelov, Ph.D. Joseph Brown, Ph.D. Janet Ford, Ph.D. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents Austin Drewry and Miriam Bocard Drewry and my family Mary Ann Drewry and Austin Francis Drewry Parents plant the dreams, family brings them to life. 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First let me thank: my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Tom Lawson, for guiding me toward using my strengths and giving me the seminal idea for this work. His have been the most generous of gifts, fine mentorship and the determination to do things right. My other dissertation committee members, Drs. Anna Faul, Joe Brown, Pam Yankeelov and Janet Ford, have provided me with wonderful support and very useful critique. For Dr. Ruth Huber, who first brought me into the Kent School's doctoral program, I don't have words to express my gratitude. Her encouragement has been unwavering, and her navigational skills priceless to a fellow who had been a long time away from the sea. Thank you, Ruth. For Robin Johnson, Andy Carlson and Rachael Richter-Hauk, my colleagues at Capital University, whose steadfast support made this workable, and for being my Greek chorus in Dayton. For Alma and Bob Brethen, who made this dream possible, and who stuck by me through times thick and thin. Their generosity has been great, their faith in me abiding and strong. No one completes anything of value alone. For Joe and Timmie, who reminded me that family is forever. And especially for Mary Ann and Austin, the dearest ones to my heart, I can only say what I've already said so many times. I love you, and I'll be back home again soon. IV ABSTRACT THE COST OF WISDOM A COMP ARATNE THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH ETHICS IN THE UNITED STATES, GERMANY AND HUNGARY Steven A. Drewry May 8,2004 This dissertation is a comparative theoretical analysis of human rights, research ethics and human subjects protection. The history of human rights is a long one, but for the sake of immediacy and focus, the author will limit the discussion to events pertaining to the last century and the beginning of a new one. Through a process of sociocultural review of significant human rights and scientific events pertinent to research involving human subjects, this work will examine the evolution of research ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary. These nations are not intended to be representative of international research ethics as a whole, but their 20th century histories starkly depict how the forces of democracy, national socialism and communism have shaped our view of how science has been used to transform societies and our beliefs regarding the human condition. The author intends to place these societies and the research topic in a theoretical context that will add depth and resonance to the discussion by examining how the aforementioned political schemes, and the ethical codes which have arisen within them, came to produce the greatness and tragedy documented in these pages. The theories v to be used in this analysis are structural functionalism, general systems theory, conflict theory, Peter Blau's exchange theory of power, and symbolic interactionism. The art and science of social work stand amidst the issue of how societies come to address the ethics of human subjects protection in research. With its historic dedication to the protection of human rights and the enfranchisement of all peoples within and across societies, social work is positioned to negotiate and implement the principles codified into the traditions and laws governing international human subjects protection for research participants. The dissertation will begin with sociohistorical review ofthe nations under study to provide necessary context and information about the research topic. A theoretical analysis will follow. The dissertation will include a recommendation for a code of research ethics which has broad applicability across cultures, and conclude with a discussion of the role of the social work profession in its operationalization. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION....................................................................... ... 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................... IV ABSTRACT............................................................................. V INTRODUCTION...................................................................... 1 Problem Statement...................... ....................................... 3 Purpose .................................. ". ... 8 Significance..... ........ .. ...... .......... ...... ... ................. .... .. .... 9 Research Questions....... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... .... ... ... .. ......... .. 10 Methodology................................................................. ... 11 FIN DE SIECLE TO THE END OF THE GREAT WAR......................... 15 The United States............................................................... 16 The Progressives....................................................... 17 Science, Eugenics and the Law................................... ... 20 American Culture.. .. ......... ..... ..... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. 23 Hungary........................................................................... 24 Hungarian Politics and Governance................................. 25 The Crucial Summer. 27 The Peace Treaty of Trianon. ......................................... 29 Hungarian Science and Culture................................... ... 31 Vll Gennany......................................................................... 33 Gennany's Militaristic Policies................................... ... 33 The Detritus of War. .................................................. 35 Gennan Philosophy and Sociology................................. 36 The Peace That Would Not Go Away.............................. 41 Summary......................................................................... 43 1920 TO THE EDGE OF CALAMITy............................................ ... 45 Gennany.......................................................................... 46 The Center Cannot Hold: Gennan Politics and Economy........ 48 The New Messiah............................................. 50 The Fate of Defectives..... ........ ............... ............ 52 For the Good of the Many: The Rise of Nazi Science............ 53 Can Moral Perversion Produce Good Science? . .. .. ... 56 Amidst Evil, Some Good..................................... 58 Gennan Culture......................................................... 60 Hungary........................................................................... 61 The Vagaries of Hungarian Recovery................................ 61 Hungarian Science: Leave Now While You Can. .. .. .. .. 64 Religion and Culture in Hungary During the Interwar Period. .. 66 The United States................................................................ 68 American Society, Culture and All That Jazz.... ................ ... 69 Brother, Can You Spare Me a Dime? American Politics and the Economy of the 1930s............................................. 72 Vl11 Kingfish....... ....... .................. ..... ...... .... ... ....... 73 Happy Days Are Here Again! ............................... , 75 Tuskegee: Science, Politics and Race .............................. , 77 Summary.......................................................................... 79 A FIERY CRUCffiLE, THE GADGET AND A FLICKERING OF FREEDOM'S LIGHT ................................................................... , 81 Gennany........................................................................... 82 Gennan Society and the