ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the different kinds of knowledge that humans have produced in relation to animals and considers its wider cultural and ethical implications. The first part of the chapter examines the creation of knowledge about animals through the study of natural history. It details the changing emphasis and scope of zoological research and assesses how new technologies – from the microscope to the camera trap – have shaped the ways in which we perceive other species. The second part of the seminar focuses on animal experimentation and traces its evolution over time. What experiments have humans performed on animals and why? What objections have been raised to the use of animals as experimental subjects? How suitable are animals as surrogates for humans? In bringing together these different strands of knowledge about animals, the chapter emphasises the key paradox at the heart of animal experimentation. In order to be valuable scientific subjects, the animals used in experiments need to be sufficiently close to humans to make the comparison valid. As our understandings of dogs, rats and chimpanzees reveal more about their sensory abilities, cognition and capacity to experience pain, however, can we still justify using these animals as stand-ins for human beings?
