Abstract

The argument put across in this paper is that, tracing the historical antecedents of the introduction of ethics in research, a strong case can and must be made for research in all fields, whether the natural or social sciences. However, researchers' ethical codes must not be cast-in-stone but must be context specific. This means that ethical codes must be very flexible and escape routes must be permitted for certain kinds of studies, especially in the humanities, where societal dynamics and demand may necessitate the by-passing of certain ethical codes. While doing so, a laissez faire approach must be avoided and monitoring measures must be put in place to curtail abuse. This will allow specific studies being conducted in specific societies to proceed without the challenges created by the need to observe stringent ethical codes. The paper traces the introduction of ethics in research to various historical antecedents in order to make a case for the need for ethics in social research for instance. It is not a holistic objection of the observation of ethical codes and the establishment of ethical boards in academic institutions for instance, but the call for flexibility, balance and context-specificity.

Keywords: Ethics, Africa, Research, Flexibility, Context-Specificity