Animal Abuse

After finishing the readings for this Thursday I felt sick to my stomach. The stories and accounts about vivisection made my stomach churn. The very thought that people can inflict such immense pain on another living creature and have no afterthought is terrible. A quote from Lewis Carrol's letter to the editor of the "Pall Mall Gazette" sums up most scientists view on vivisection, "You shall suffer that I may know" (384). We make the assumption that we have the right to inflict pain on animals just because we are considered "superior". They are inferior therefore the pain they go through is not important. This assumption of superiority of our own species is called speciesism. Earthlings defines this term as, "a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of member of one's own species and against those of members of other species" (366). Everyone practices speciesism. We all assume we are more intelligent than animals therefore causing us to be superior. "Humans view themselves as the elite species on the planet. Throughout history, humans distinguished themselves from animals by claiming the ability to reason as a specifically human characteristic" (387). The vivisection of animals is a practiced that should be stopped. Inflicting pain on underserving and unknowing animals is unfair and inhumane. It is not morally right to inflict pain on others just so we can try and learn, especially since there is no garuntee that the research will produce the desired results.