Expanding the ethics horizon: integrating African canons for inclusive research ethics in Africa
Corné Nel, Jacqueline E Wolvaardt, Pieter du Toit · 2026
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Description
Corné Nel, Jacqueline E Wolvaardt, and Pieter du Toit argue in a 2026 conceptual paper that research ethics in Africa should absorb African value canons alongside the dominant Western frameworks. Helsinki-style ethics rest on individualism, they contend, while African scholarship has long urged communal grounding. A clinical medical practice degree curriculum serves as their worked example of decolonized ethics teaching.
Five canons anchor the proposal, drawn from Swahili and the Ubuntu philosophy of shared humanity: familyhood, calmness, self-giving, fairness, and truthfulness. Centering communal well-being over the lone individual, the authors say, could humanize healthcare as artificial intelligence spreads through it. Inclusive ethics, on this view, protects compassionate care rather than merely policing consent forms.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Corné Nel, Jacqueline E Wolvaardt, Pieter du Toit |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 29767 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |