Anti-Vivisection and Anti-Violence

Anti-Vivisection and Anti-Violence If a university official said in virtually theories of ethics. For now though, let any relevant context, “Violence will us look to the Orient for the origins of not be tolerated,” there is nary a the principle. The principle of non- member of the academic community violence emerged in a South Asian who would protest. On the contrary, religion called Jainism more than five such a statement would be received as millennia ago in the geographical area socially necessary, authoritative, and now known as India. The Jains called entirely respectable. Yet massive this principle ahimsa in Sanskrit. violence occurs on university Literally, ahimsa means non-injury, campuses. but many have translated it as non- violence. Traditionally, non- It would be bigoted to think that violence of the Jains applies to all violence can only be executed sentient beings, or entities who against human beings. have consciousness, and in Nonhuman animals in medical particular affect (feelings, and other forms of research are desires, preferences, and subject to violence, and killed moods). Jain ahimsa has long one after another in as casual a been generally opposed to way as someone with a bad animal exploitation or neglect. cold might draw tissues from a Jain animal sanctuaries in India box. These creatures are slain are not uncommon. Religious one after the other, in the tens of Jains cannot be hunters, fishers, thousands, every single year. or trappers. They are vegetarian Usually without a thought as to and have often objected to Hindus whether this violence is morally right engaging in animal sacrifice over the or wrong. ages. Yet Jains have had a cultural soft-spot about enslaving cows for This informal paper will defend the milk, as with many South Asians of idea that violence towards nonhuman that region. It is rationalized in ways animals even in the context of medical that need not detain us here. research cannot be defended. It will be Although Jains are a small part of the assumed that if the ideological walls population of India, they are well fortifying medical vivisection respected and very widely recognized. crumble, then other forms of animal research—with less urgent social Interestingly, Jains commonly believe benefits that could conceivably be that it is morally acceptable to use claimed—would fall as well. Figure 1. A Brief History of Non-Violence The raised hand stands as a symbol of non-violence for the Jains. Ahimsa I will show how non-violence flows as in the Sanskrit is artfully inscribed in the palm. an implication of the major Western physical force in defence, including in one can embrace non-violence without wars. Exactly how this can subscribing to the be defended will not be religious aspects of examined in this Jainism. However, it is paper, but it may well absolutely necessary in relate to choosing the least the history of ideas to of expected violence. An credit the Jains with attacker is not only not non-violence. innocent, as a rule, but Certainly the notion will generally inflict more never had any damage than someone important genesis in simply seeking to restrain Western thinking in a or to end a threat. way that is so full of integrity as to include The Jain justification of non-violence to all non-violence is essentially beings to whom compassion, although the violence could matter: Jains also believe that sentient beings. violence causes people to Presumably, nothing— gain bad karma. Karma including violence or literally means “fruit,” that the absence of it— is, the fruit of action, or what it results matters to non-sentient beings. in from a causal perspective. In fact, the Jain theory of karma is that there Jain monks are much more strict than are physical karman particles that householders. Lord Mahavir is adhere to wrong-doers, weighing them especially revered as a “self- down, and preventing them from conqueror” who exemplified ahimsa leaving this Earth when they die. Like since ancient times. so many of their Some Jain monks wear face masks so region, as not to kill micro-organisms (see Jains are left). pessim- ists In modern times, ahimsa or non- about violence has been most famously this championed by Mohandas Gandhi. world The latter himself was a Hindu, but he and was happy to borrow ahimsa from the generally Jains. He led a movement seeking value escaping Figure 2. Top. it after death. Jains are atheists, yet they A statue of Lord Mahavir. believe that each soul is holy: Figure 3. Left. infinitely knowing, joyous, and compassionate in pure form. Of course A Jain monk with a face mask. 2 South Asia’s behalf of African- independence from the Americans in the United British Empire. This led States. King was a great to the formation of two orator and leader, but modern states once unfortunately, like autonomy was won: Gandhi, was India and Pakistan. assassinated. British colonial security forces would mercilessly Coretta Scott King, Dr. beat Gandhian King’s wife, went vegan protesters. These in 1995, claiming that agitators for animal rights is a logical independence were extension of her completely non-violent, and so the husband’s philosophy of non-violence. British ended up being shamed on the Dexter Scott King, son of Martin and world stage for carrying out utter Coretta, is also a vegan for animal savagery. The Indians were rights reasons. sympathized with as they themselves were wholly innocent, What Is Violence? only wanting their own country again rather than This is a highly living under a tyranny controversial subject. by a far away Traditional definitions, imperialistic such as are to be found in government. Gandhi was dictionaries, emphasize successful in his non- the physical. But child violent campaign. Be it abuse can be verbal. noted though that there There is nothing were many kinds of remarkable of a physical protests: non-violent and nature going on there, violent alike. In any except perhaps inside the event, he became brain, and so forth. Old- revered by millions and style thinking also was given the honorary emphasizes great force, title, Mahatma, which but is it not violent to means “great soul.” erase a life, while the victim is sleeping, even with a painless An ethical vegetarian, Gandhi injection? famously penned: “To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than Etymologically, violence is probably that of a human being.” Figure 4. Top. Another key promoter of non- violence, although not for animals as Gandhi had few possessions: a bowl and a loincloth. Gandhi, was Martin Luther King, Jr., the great civil rights advocate on Figure 5. Bottom. Martin Luther King, Jr. 3 related to violate. Linguists are no violence as the gold standard. Each unsure. Howev non-violent agent must, then, be non- er, regardless, I am going to use what I violent towards each and every call the violationist theory of violence. sentient being. Violence is whatever violates sentient beings. Someone’s psyche is violated Now medical vivisection is violent so long as they are deliberately made towards its victims. All animals are to feel so much as significantly disturbed or unhappy living in tiny uncomfortable, thus cages, fed pellets, violating their peace. and usually But although comfort prevented from is emphasized in this fulfilling their way on my view, it is social natures, in a non-violent enjoy the outdoors, manner. Thus, a and so forth. And rapist’s discomfort at the procedures being stopped would themselves violate not count. His or her the animals who satisfaction as a rapist are often explicitly is part of violence, not harmed. Indeed, non-violence. Only scientists try to what is consistent with model the most non-violence is harmful diseases esteemed and cared for using animals as on non-violence ethics. priority #1, since It is noteworthy that those diseases none of us wishes to themselves take be subject to priority in the violence—apart from, human condition. say, masochists. However, for reasons Certainly the which we will not innocent black enter into here, men at Tuskegee masochism is not a who were lied to— suitable basis for all ethics, and not told they were being treated—so that just democratically. their syphilis could secretly be monitored for effects, and the Jews There may be some situations which and other prisoners of the Nazis who call for what I term non-violence were vivisected during the Second approximation. In such cases, violence World War were subject to violence. is expected, and we have to get as close to non-violence as possible by We would be kidding ourselves if we minimizing violence. Defence was concluded that the same forms of raised as an example earlier. However, treatment are non-violent when they non-violence as such is to be executed are directed towards sentient beings of in as many cases as possible. That is: nonhuman species. 4 Let us say you saw a list of violent aggression, irradiation, inflicted practices in laboratories that are “near, wounds, targeting by military at, or above the pain tolerance weapons (ballistics, chemical, germ, threshold of unanesthetized conscious and nuclear warfare), and more. The animals,” and the list included: idea is to address harms that humans suffer by inflicting harms on the exposure to noxious stimuli or animals for study purposes. But if agents whose effects are such harms are to be prevented for the unknown humans, why not also for the exposure to drugs or chemicals nonhumans? at levels that (may) markedly impair physiological systems It is quite clear that an ethic of anti- and which cause death, severe pain, or severe distress experiments “which have a high degree of invasiveness” burn or trauma infliction on unanesthetized animals You might assume that this itemizing is a product of an animal activist who is sensitive to what animals suffer in laboratories, and that these procedures must never be allowed, as they are not in violence towards animals must abolish the human case.

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