1. How Society Views Animal Experimentation
Finding cures for cancer, diseases, or infections is
very important as nature evolves and ne threats
come about to society. The ways to find what will to
work to solve these ailments usually starts with an
experiment of some kind to ensure the safety of that
solution for society. One of the ways scientists
choose to go about these experiments is using
animals in these tests. Using particular animals, such
as rats or rabbits, gives the scientist an advantage
because they aren’t using real humans, and the
anatomy of those two animals is very similar to a
human. There are other, more humane ways to do
these experiments, however using animals is a lot
cheaper and quicker for the scientists. Animals do not
have a say, and are not used ethically; this practice
should not be allowed.
I am a student at Alverno College, and I am looking at animal
experimentation, or the use of animal species instead of humans in a
scientific experiment, and how it has been utilized since before the
1950’s, and will continue to be used until proven to be inhumane. There
are a variety of opinions about the matter throughout society in America,
as well as around the world. Below is a sample, from my research, of the
opinions I found. In Ericson’s article, he
explains animal
experimentation in terms of
how to eliminate animals to
get an experiment done.
He looks at this process of
animal experimentation
through the eyes of
someone who cares for
animals, and doesn’t see
the process as being
humane or ethical which
implies the assumption of
every animal used being
treated horribly. He is
assuming his readers’ are
all animal lovers and that
all of his readers’ know
about using animals in
experiments. Ericson is
against using animals in
scientific experiments, and
gives examples as to why
he feels that way.
In Michael & Birke’s article,
they describe animal
experimentation through the
stance of a scientist, and how
using animals for these
experiments is ethical and
they follow the guidelines to
ensure the safety of the
animals. In their article,
Michael & Birke tackle the
barriers of animal cruelty and
inhumane practices while
supporting using animals.
The authors use the
abstraction process by
looking at animal
experimentation in terms of
saving lives, and creating
cures from the outcomes of
the experiments. Michael &
Birke (1994) mention in their
article “scientists might
attempt to show how their
treatment of animals lives up
to certain standards of
"humanity" by stressing their
feelings for animals” (p. 190)
In Bogle’s article, he
explains the ethical values
incorporated within the idea
of using animals, as he
says, “the evidence that
some animals have minds
and emotions remarkably
similar to our own—similar
in ethically and morally
important ways—is
mounting almost daily”
(Bogle, 2003) Bogle uses
the abstraction process in
his article to show that
humans blindly look at
another living thing, not a
human, and immediately
think how can I make
money. In all actuality
animals have feelings, and
that is one of the main
points of his article.
What can YOU do?
Depending on your personal views, and how you feel, I would say just
start researching the companies you shop at such as Mary Kay, or
Macy’s and see their makeup line. Look up where their makeup, and
cosmetic products come from, and see if that lab or scientific agency
uses animals in their testing. This will give you a better idea if you want
to support using animals PCM230 Influence &
General Semantics/Instructor: Tracy Stockwell
Amanda Lynn; Topic: Animal Experimentation
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