The Other Animal of Transplant's Future

Area of Science:

• Anthropology of science
• Bioethics
• Xenotransplantation ethics

Background:

• Growing interest in using animals as organ donors for humans (xenotransplantation).
• Researchers assign value to different animal species based on perceived utility.
• Established bioethical principles struggle with subjective influences in human-animal value judgments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the moral underpinnings of lab animal research and xenotransplantation.
• To propose an alternative ethical framework for evaluating human-animal relations in science.
• To encourage a self-reflexive examination of how we perceive and understand animals in research settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis drawing on anthropological perspectives.
• Critique of established bioethical principles in the context of animal research.
• Introduction of an "ordinary ethics" framework emphasizing everyday thought and action.

Main Results:

• Traditional bioethics can be clouded by subjective experiences and biases.
• The valuation of animal species in research follows a specialized, often unexamined, logic.
• Existing ethical frameworks may not adequately capture the nuances of human-animal interactions in science.

Conclusions:

• An "ordinary ethics" approach, focusing on critical self-reflection of quotidian perceptions, offers a valuable alternative to codified bioethics.
• Understanding 'how we see' animals in research is crucial for navigating the ethics of human-animal relations.
• This perspective encourages a deeper examination of assumptions underlying the use of animals in experimental science.