Search

This paper addresses several questions related to the nature, production, and use of animal-human (a-h) chimeras. At the heart of the issue is whether certain types of a-h chimeras should be brought into existence, and, !f they are, how u,e should treat such creatures. In our current research environment, u,e recognize a dichotomy between research involving nonhuman animal subjects and research involving human subjects, and the classification of a research protocol into one of these categories will trigger different ethical standards as to the moral permissibilitY of the research in question. Are a-h chimeras entitled to the more restrictive and protective ethical standards applied to human research subjects? We elucidate an Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysical .framework in which to argue how such chimeras ought to be defined ontologically. We then examine when the creation of and experimentation upon, certain types of a-h chimeras may be morally permissible. Keywords: Aquinas, chimera, hybrid, personhood, potentiality

Three short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were constructed from the results of principal components analysis (N = 399). Those subscales were compared with short forms developed by previous researchers who used the same methodology. Examination of the subscales indicated that 13 of the scale's 33 items were isolated by at least two of the three reported studies. Those items were used to construct a composite subscale, which appeared to offer a useful alternative to the full scale. Further analysis of the subscale's contents, however, raised questions about the dimensionality of the Marlowe-Crowne scale. Caution was urged in the use and interpretation of both the full inventory and the short form until the meaning of scale scores can be clarified.