(Written 5th of February, 2003)
Introduction
- As a subject, the experiment on animals is interesting. It's a bit same kind of subject, as a testing on humans, when it comes to the strength of feelings that these subjects lift up. From the moral and ethical point of view, experiment on animals, lifts up perhaps even more stronger feelings, than a testing on humans. Me and many other people, wonder that does the human beings, have the right to submit other living beings to things, that we wouldn't be ready to do to us? Our present view of life relies mainly on Descartes and other thinkers in the natural philosophy. In this kind of thinking, only the living beings have value, that can conclude and therefore own some intelligence. The strange and dangerous thing in this kind of philosophy is, that for example the mentally retarded don't necessarily own these kind of abilities. So there for, they have no value and they are easily sacrificed. So the true danger of this philosophy is, that we can go really far in our conclusions and end into the situation, where Germany was in the thirties and forties. The individual doesn't have no value, if he can't produce anything, or offer anything to the society. Our modern society is strongly going towards this kind of thinking. Unemployed, sick or just plain "lazy" people, don't have any value at all to the society.
- This is the base of the animal testing. Many animals don't produce anything. Even those animals that do produce something for human beings, are ennobled so far, that in my opinion, we cannot talk about an animal anymore. Those ennobled animals are more like a living piece of meat or a living machine that produces eggs. Animal or human being, doesn't have any value, if they don't produce something. It would also be desirable, that animals and humans, could produce with full capacity. Then when the productivity of an animal goes down, we will gain benefit from the animal last time. So even death is beneficial to us and even death produces something. When you start to think about it, the dogs, cats, rabbits and rats are completely useless to us. They don't produce anything to human beings. But when we harness these kind of animals, to animal testing, we will gain something out of these useless animals. We can for example test make-up with animals, so that we can carry out our own vanity and get beautiful in the face of imminent death.
- Many people justify the animal testing as a necessary thing, so that we can win the illnesses that are threatening human beings. If this is not a real good example about double standards, then I don't know what is? We, the human beings, are responsible of destroying our own living space with a fast pace. The result of this is, that old eco systems are destroyed, that unleashes more illness to us, when the nature doesn't work anymore in a way, that is has worked before the human beings and hopefully will work in that way again, when we, the human race, have destroyed ourselves. The other funny feature in this kind of thinking is, that nowadays they are transferring "spare parts" from animals, to humans. I support the idea to the point, when your own organs have failed, without you helping this failure. But can anyone say honestly, that there is any idea to start transferring new liver to alcoholic, liver that is taken from an animal? What will you think that this alcoholic will start to do after he has gotten a new liver? Start to protest against the animal testing?
- I chose this subject, because I find it interesting to think about ethical issues and to present an attitude towards our modern society, which I don't find comforting at all. Productivity and disposable are the key words in our society. You might be able to read between the lines, or perhaps quite clearly that I'm against animal testing. This however is not completely true. Before this writing, it might have been the case, but now as I have gotten familiar with the arguments of people who are supporting animal testing and to the arguments of people who are against this, I can just say, that the arguments on both sides, are ridiculous. Both sides try to appeal to peoples emotions, without really showing any hard facts. I think the most ridiculous comment comes from Timo Nevalainen, who works in the Laboratory Animal Center: "Laboratory animals are cared well and they know and trust their attendants. The laboratory animals and dogs, spend a good dogs life".
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