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Here's a little moral quandary for you..
Let's say that when we first tried experimenting on animals we quickly found that they were so physiologically different from us that they were completely incompatible as models for humans and as such "our only other choice" was to use other human beings for biomedical research. But we didn't test on those of us fortunate enough to be born sound of mind since that would be profoundly unethical, we only used the mentally impaired, those among us who were so severely retarded or brain damaged that they had absolutely no sense of self or their place in the world.
In spite of some opposition the voices of dissent were shouted down. The experiments yielded great results, we made huge advancements in medical science and felt completely vindicated in doing so since it was for the greater good and the people we were experimenting on didn't even fall into the definition of personhood anyway since they are not subjectively aware. And so the practice of human vivisection is born and quickly becomes completely normalized within our society.
Skip forward to the present day and perhaps now we are even purposely breeding these virtually brain dead humans solely for the purpose of medical research but now certain individuals and groups are starting to make a lot of noise about human experimentation. A movement is forming against it, It's barbaric and inhumane they say. Nonsense the opposition say, these aren't people we are experimenting on, they are nothing more than living vegetables and what about all the benefits it has brought.
Bear in mind that the culture/society/family you are born into largely dictates your beliefs. Just as a child born into some white families in the slavery era would have grown up thinking it was normal to keep black people as slaves and beat them if they didn't meet expectations or perhaps a child in certain cultures indoctrinated with certain religions from the day they are born will believe woman are inferior to men or gays are unclean, in this hypothetical scenario I have painted, human vivisection has been established and socially acceptable for a very long time so more than likely you will believe that it is the way things are. Your brain is hardwired to accept that this is a universal truth, this is the way things have always been.
So which side are you on? Is it morally justifiable for the greater good, is it something you think you might have been questioning for a while and/or do you conclude that in spite of all the irrefutable benefits it has given us it is so morally repugnant that it should be brought to an end immediately? Or maybe you don't give a shit either way.
Remember. This is a purely hypothetical scenario for the purpose of stimulating "intelligent discussion". Keep it civil or don't bother posting.
Let's say that when we first tried experimenting on animals we quickly found that they were so physiologically different from us that they were completely incompatible as models for humans and as such "our only other choice" was to use other human beings for biomedical research. But we didn't test on those of us fortunate enough to be born sound of mind since that would be profoundly unethical, we only used the mentally impaired, those among us who were so severely retarded or brain damaged that they had absolutely no sense of self or their place in the world.
In spite of some opposition the voices of dissent were shouted down. The experiments yielded great results, we made huge advancements in medical science and felt completely vindicated in doing so since it was for the greater good and the people we were experimenting on didn't even fall into the definition of personhood anyway since they are not subjectively aware. And so the practice of human vivisection is born and quickly becomes completely normalized within our society.
Skip forward to the present day and perhaps now we are even purposely breeding these virtually brain dead humans solely for the purpose of medical research but now certain individuals and groups are starting to make a lot of noise about human experimentation. A movement is forming against it, It's barbaric and inhumane they say. Nonsense the opposition say, these aren't people we are experimenting on, they are nothing more than living vegetables and what about all the benefits it has brought.
Bear in mind that the culture/society/family you are born into largely dictates your beliefs. Just as a child born into some white families in the slavery era would have grown up thinking it was normal to keep black people as slaves and beat them if they didn't meet expectations or perhaps a child in certain cultures indoctrinated with certain religions from the day they are born will believe woman are inferior to men or gays are unclean, in this hypothetical scenario I have painted, human vivisection has been established and socially acceptable for a very long time so more than likely you will believe that it is the way things are. Your brain is hardwired to accept that this is a universal truth, this is the way things have always been.
So which side are you on? Is it morally justifiable for the greater good, is it something you think you might have been questioning for a while and/or do you conclude that in spite of all the irrefutable benefits it has given us it is so morally repugnant that it should be brought to an end immediately? Or maybe you don't give a shit either way.
Remember. This is a purely hypothetical scenario for the purpose of stimulating "intelligent discussion". Keep it civil or don't bother posting.
