Composition Research Paper

Composition Research Paper

[Name of the Writer]

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Composition Research Paper

Introduction

Our planet Earth is occupied by various species; there are humans, plants, animals, fish, reptiles and many more that share the planet, with us, the humans. Humans have been created as superior human beings, thus given the authority to look after the planet and the other species, living on it. But humans, in the hands of their nature, have become selfish and been exploiting it since the very beginning of times.

There has always been an ongoing conflict regarding the rights of animals and human interests. Humans have been using animals in various ways to fulfill their multiple types of needs. For example, animals have been widely used as a food product since the very beginning of times. Moreover, animals are killed to obtain their hide, out of which various products are made. A considerable amount of people are of the view that animals have equal rights just like humans and they should be treated in the same way as humans want to be treated. The following piece of writing will look into further details that how cruelly animals are treated in various places and for multiple purposes, and why animals, as living beings should have equal rights and be treated ethically.

Discussion

Animal rights have been a hot topic of debate since centuries. It is not a new concept to use animals for the purpose of food and clothing (Regan, 2004). In recent times, animals are also being used for scientific and research purposes in addition to being served in the plates or worn as warm clothing. Arthur Schopenhauer, in his book "The Basis of Morality," exclaims that “The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.” (Schopenhauer, 1998)

At another place in his book Schopenhauer exclaims that “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” 

Sacrificing Animals for Food

Animals have been used extensively for fulfilling the hunger of the human race for a long time. After the humans discovered fire, they started to consume the meat of animals to curb their appetite. The tradition did not stop here, and every year, millions of animals are killed and sacrificed, to be served in the plates of humans. It is downright inhumane and cruel to do so. Jennifer Skiff, in her book, “Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World” states that

“The history of the world will, one day, be defined by the people who witnessed the tragedy of impending extinction and were able to turn humanity's destructive patterns into creative solutions.” 

Sacrificing Animals for getting Leather Products

Animals have been subjected to cruelty, not in the form of killing them for food but also ending their lives for the purpose of obtains their hide. Animal skin or efur is an excellent source for the production of goods made out of leather. Almost 90% of the leather, used in the production of leather products like handbags, leather jackets, leather wallets, purses and many more. Moreover leather is a primary raw product for the production of shoes and a covering for seats of sofas and cars.

At another place in her book, “Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World," Jennifer Skiff comments that "The work to protect one species benefits us all." (Skiff, 2018)

Use of Animals for Research Purposes

It is not a new thing to use animals for research purposes. Animals have been used widely in the testing of various cosmetic products, food items, and drugs for a long time. The first experiment conducted on the animals for research purposes or testing objectives was in ancient Greece, almost 500 years before the Common Era. Animals are preferred for research purposes as they share the complex anatomy and nervous system similar to humans. Some animals also show similar behavior and emotional patterns just like humans which makes it easy for scientists to study them and have a closer assumption of the results.

Scientists believe that it is completely normal to test drugs, medicines, and vaccines on animals as it is much safer than testing it over the humans, that might cause some harmful effects for the human on whom the drugs being tested. It can cause some severe disease or reaction, lifetime disability or even result in the death of the individual. Scientists themselves agree that testing on animals have resulted in various extreme results in the following words: “the authors acknowledge that at the other extreme, there have been poor correlations between results in animals and man in several diseases such as stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer's disease, and they summarize several analyses that have set out to understand why results in animals and man differ in these cases.” (HealthSciences, 2016)

The same article stresses the protocol and respect for animals while testing them for experiments “Nevertheless, there is room for substantial improvement in the protocols of animal tests to boost their credibility and reproducibility.” (HealthSciences, 2016)

Moreover, there is no guarantee that a product tested on an animal will deliver the same results on a human as it did on an animal. Haltretch in her article published in 2017 claims that “Animal testing does not always lead to accurate safety results for a product. According to Planet Science, patients have suffered life-threatening side effects from a drug that during testing had no effect on an animal. Given this lack of reliability and the suffering that comes with it, animal testing is not reliable and causes suffering.” (Haltrecht, 2017)

In addition to this, she urges her readers to stand against testing of cosmetics, drugs, and vaccines on animals because it is plain cruel. It is inhumane, and animals suffer the same way like the humans do.” (Haltrecht, 2017)

Apart from all these uses and support, there is a third group of people as well who are neutral in this case. These people fall in between both the extremes of giving animals their due rights and the usage of animals by humans. This specific group of people consists of individuals who either remain silent over the issue or support the cause but keep using animals as food and clothing. Such people would be repulsed or disgusted by the idea of animal abuse but will continue to use products that have been tested on animals or will keep enjoying such shows and movies that depict torture on the animals. These people may go to such an extreme to supporting testing drugs and vaccines on animals in order to save human lives.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, it can be seen that it is only inhumane to treat animals the way the humans of modern times are treating them. It is only selfish to kill animals for the purpose of food and clothing. It is also very cruel to captivate and torture them for entertainment purposes. We should realize that animals are living beings, just like us and they feel pain in the same way as humans do. So, it is the need of the hour that humans should immediately stop killing and captivating animals of all sorts, and it should also be made illegal to test products and experiment on animals.

References

Haltrecht, L. (2017). Op-Ed: Animals should not be used for testing. Retrieved from https://archeroracle.org/29487/opinion/op-ed-animals-should-not-be-used-for-testing/

HealthSciences, E. (2016). Animal testing essential to medical progress but protocols could be improved: Improvements to animal testing protocols could boost credibility and usefulness, say leading scientists. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170426183030.htm

Regan, T. (2004). The case for animal rights. Univ of California Press.

Schopenhauer, A. (1998). On the basis of morality. Hackett Publishing.

Skiff, J. (2018). Rescuing Ladybugs: Inspirational Encounters with Animals That Changed the World. New World Library.