We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Analysis

Animals don’t have feelings. This is the argument used for ages to support harsh experimentation on animals. In theory, empirical knowledge relies on the use of laboratory animals to conduct experiments. Time and time again these arguments have been disproved as unnecessary. Laws have been created to protect animals from preventable harm. Experiments involving animals must be approved by a board of ethics. In the case of “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,” the experiment with Fern broke a few modern laws of experimental ethics and would not be allowed to occur today. One of the laws of experimental ethics is to avoid any emotional or physical harm unless it is absolutely necessary for the greater good of humanity. This law was broken in Fern’s experiment. The scientists never considered the mental result of raising a chimpanzee completely isolated from its species entirely. Lowell comes to the conclusion that being raised in a human household “screwed Fern up in the head.” Fern was distraught when she was forced into a chimpanzee enclosure at age five. She did not realize she was one of them and had the same …show more content…
The scientists carelessly ripped her away from her adoptive family that she loved without warning and placed her into a dangerous situation. The introduction of a single chimpanzee into an established group has always been dicey. The new monkey is often beaten and sometimes even killed. Fern was thrown into an enclosure with multiple older males when she had no knowledge of chimp society. She could have easily been killed. The scientists could have educated her before introducing her completely to help the transition. Best case scenario would to have to raised educated on chimpanzee life, but that had been abandoned long beforehand. The experiment and method of disbanding the experiment caused unnecessary risk and harm to Fern’s psychological and physiological