After the dust up last week about violent anti-animal testing groups (coast down through the comments on the linked Denialism post to get the short version of my take), two things stuck in my head. One, the Dalai Lama says my karma's okay as long as I'm following what looks like a version of the Society of Toxicology's Principles of Animal Use. Two, what would be of practical use to researchers who deal with this problem? Here's my advice:
1) Have compassion for animals in research.
2) Strive to make your research a benefit for humanity.
3) Get this free karmic pass and put it on your lab door. Download pdf poster here.
4) Smile and feel at peace (really).
Many thanks to my good friend P for putting this together for me!
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The 2006 Society for Neuroscience Meeting is approaching (in October), and I just wanted to repost this about the Dalai Lama's speech at SFN last year, from the "archives."
First, this post is a summary of online accounts from people that heard the Dalai Lama's speech at the Society for…
By all accounts, yesterday's UCLA Pro-Test rally in support of animal research was a great success. Up to 800 people showed up for the Pro-Test rally, but only 30-40 people showed up for a concurrent anti-research rally
These numbers are particularly notable for two reasons. Firstly, the number of…
This is completely unacceptable:
The constant calls, the people frightening his children, and the demonstrations in front of his home apparently became a little too much.
Dario Ringach, an associate neurobiology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, decided this month to give up…
Again, at UCLA, a researcher has become the target of violence at the hands of animal rights activists.
From the Los Angeles Times:
The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the firebombing of a vehicle owned by a UCLA neuroscientist who was targeted by an anti-animal research group…
I should note that this isn't meant to poke fun at his Holiness; in fact, I respect him. It's a way of showing how absolutely outside of any accepted moral realm these violent extremist are. If done right, Bhuddists are with us! Who's with the extremists? Nobody. Well, at least no one in their right (or left, or any) mind.
As someone who was in the room for that talk, I'd say that the Dali Lama's threshold for acceptible animal research is probably stricter than what is currently being done in science labs. He clearly would prefer a system that focus on research with extremely clear and direct benefits to life (i.e. not necessarily basic research that causes animals pain and may or may not result in helping others 20 years in the future). That said, he was clearly in favor of animal research.
My guess is that this poster might bring you more trouble, not less.
I predict that a hard-core anti-animal testing nut would see this and be certain that you're lying about the Dalai Lama's views. He wouldn't know the Dalai Lama's real position, and wouldn't believe you if you told him.
In his mind, you'd be defaming the Dalai Lama on top of your animal testing crimes.
qetzal, I appreciate the comment but -> so be it. They won't listen to reason or the law so in the vein of Al Franken, we might as well have a little fun. And if it can turn just a few of their heads enough that they look into the subject and find his Holiness's real views and consider them, then I'd be happy (and probably more effective that a logical argument at this point).
Sweet! It's gracing the door right now.
Tee.
hearby -> hereby.
As someone who was in the room for that talk, I'd say that the Dali Lama's threshold for acceptible animal research is probably stricter than what is currently being done in science labs.He clearly would prefer a system that focus on research with extremely clear and direct benefits to life (i.e. not necessarily basic research that causes animals pain and may or may not result in helping others 20 years in the future). That said, he was clearly in favor of animal research.
thanx
thanks..
They won't listen to reason or the law so in the vein of Al Franken, we might as well have a little fun. And if it can turn just a few of their heads enough that they look into the subject and find his Holiness's real views and consider them, then I'd be happy (and probably more effective that a logical argument at this point).