111–120 of 185 posts
So after seven days, the oxygen level would instantly drop to zero? I would think the Oxygen supply would run out, leaving the dog to slowly suffocate as the O2 supply of the capsule space was consumed.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What was it about the 20th century that produced such heartless people? Lead exposure? I understand that the 20th century is far from an aberration in terms of human cruelty, but there is an element of sadism that feels different than other centuries. For instance, read the first sentence from Harlow's Wikipedia page: > Harry Frederick Harlow (October 31, 1905 – December 6, 1981) was an American psychologist best kno…
Just anecdotal, but some older people I've known who grew up on farms are probably the most indifferent to animal suffering, as long as the animal provides meat or whatever their utility is. Animal welfare is only a thing kids are concerned about that they need to grow out of. Combine that attitude with the growing scientific revolution and desire to partake in scientific experiments and such, and I could see how thi…
Judaism actually has a law called "Tza'ar ba'alei chayim" which prohibits unnecessary suffering to animals, and mandates a procedure for painless slaughter. This was unprecedented for its time - back then no one cared at all.
2007 graphic novel. Lots of awards. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika_(comics)
> Soviet physicians chose Laika to die, but they were not entirely heartless. This tone is really harsh, animals dying to push science forward is still common today and acting like they were "heartless" for it is disingenuous. Laika got to be remembered, which his already much more than can be said of most test subjects.
I've got to agree with you here. Every day, animals around the world are given cancer, AIDs, heart attacks, and all manner of diseases in the name of advancing science. As many as 12 million animals are dissected or vivisected in US schools alone annually. Laika was an important stepping stone towards humans in space. It's sad a dog died, but some people are a bit melodramatic.
And yet, given the power to make such a decision I'd ban all animal experimentation without question (and I'd include Laika's situation in that).
If it is so vital that an experiment be performed, then a willing human volunteer should be found. If no human is willing to undergo these tortures in the name of science and for the sake of humanity, then the experiment in question is apparently not that vital after all.
In these situations, humans have the choice and humans have the benefit. We should leave other species out of it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What was it about the 20th century that produced such heartless people? Lead exposure? I understand that the 20th century is far from an aberration in terms of human cruelty, but there is an element of sadism that feels different than other centuries. For instance, read the first sentence from Harlow's Wikipedia page: > Harry Frederick Harlow (October 31, 1905 – December 6, 1981) was an American psychologist best kno…
Just anecdotal, but some older people I've known who grew up on farms are probably the most indifferent to animal suffering, as long as the animal provides meat or whatever their utility is. Animal welfare is only a thing kids are concerned about that they need to grow out of. Combine that attitude with the growing scientific revolution and desire to partake in scientific experiments and such, and I could see how thi…
Having spent a decent chunk of my childhood in a rural area (and seen many pigs being killed by various methods, none of them very humane), I also don't care about this stuff too much tbh.
Remembering Laika, Space Dog and Soviet Hero - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15620340 - Nov 2017 (51 comments)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What was it about the 20th century that produced such heartless people? Lead exposure? I understand that the 20th century is far from an aberration in terms of human cruelty, but there is an element of sadism that feels different than other centuries. For instance, read the first sentence from Harlow's Wikipedia page: > Harry Frederick Harlow (October 31, 1905 – December 6, 1981) was an American psychologist best kno…
Just anecdotal, but some older people I've known who grew up on farms are probably the most indifferent to animal suffering, as long as the animal provides meat or whatever their utility is. Animal welfare is only a thing kids are concerned about that they need to grow out of. Combine that attitude with the growing scientific revolution and desire to partake in scientific experiments and such, and I could see how thi…
> They expected Laika to die from oxygen deprivation—a painless death > within 15 seconds—after seven days in space. So after seven days, the oxygen level would instantly drop to zero? I would think the Oxygen supply would run out, leaving the dog to slowly suffocate as the O2 supply of the capsule space was consumed.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes you're faced with a binary reality, and have to decide between several shitty things.
Like strapping a bomb to a dog that might very well just run off into the woods or throwing it with your arm like everyone else, right? Somehow I feel like the tank dog idea didn't come up from cutting edge military science but rather some drunken soldiers with a bomb and a stay dog and a fucked up sense of humor.
A dog can run much further than a soldier can throw, which was pretty much the point. If you're close enough to throw something at an enemy tank, you are typically dead.
That said, this had limited success at best: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tank_dog