Creative compliance, neutralization techniques, and palaeontological ethics

Using the ongoing ethical and legal issues related to the study of amber with fossil inclusions originating from Myanmar a basis for contextualising discussion, in this paper I demonstrate how the criminological ideas of creative compliance and techniques of neutralisation (specifically the practice of appealing to higher loyalties) can manifest within academic palaeontology. I conclude with a discussion of what these manifestations mean for the continued development of ethical frameworks for disciplinary practice.