Against the pariasmoral. Schopenhauer on the ethics of vivisection

Abstract

In this essay I investigate Schopenhauer's position on the ethics of animal experiments. I argue that both his analysis of the dangers involved in performing vivisection on a wide scale and the guidelines he suggested in order to limit this cruel practice remain theoretically relevant in the context of today's debate on animal rights. Schopenhauer responded to the rapid increase in the use of animals at universities by calling for a philosophical system able to address the problems of animal ethics and treating vivisection as an important moral issue. This essay is divided into three sections: first, I reconstruct the historical background of Schopenhauer's reflections on vivisection; then I present the philosophical basis of Schopenhauer's guidelines for an ethical treatment of animals in university laboratories; finally I underline the modernity of Schopenhauer's position, focussing on a few specific examples (such as the problem of performing vivisection on apes).