A note on ethics and logic

Samenvatting

A discussion of the way in which certain ethnographic data can be, and actually are, used by very powerful human agencies, points to the central issue as being one of ethics. Two points of view are considered. The first is the alleged need for an enforceable ethical code regarding the relations between anthropologists and the people they study. The second is the suggestion that, under certain circumstances, to refrain from publishing or to withdraw from a specific area can be the most realistic way to protect the anonymity and interests of informants. Several possible, realistic alternatives are offered. J. Shiffer