Editor:

If you attended the recent lecture by scientist Richard Davidson at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, you witnessed an individual (me) who questioned his research regarding compassion and the human brain.

My question was if he’d consider ending the experiments on nonhuman animals based on the following two facts:

1. The nonhuman animal experiments contradict his own spoken sentiment (quoting Einstein) of expanding human compassion to all creatures (the experiments purposefully condition a state of fear in the nonhuman primates).

2. The nonhuman animal experiments provide inferior data for human usage that duplicates superior data already existing from human populations and human studies.

Davidson responded with pre-packaged non-answers.

I was encouraged to hear another audience member after my question who identified herself as a U professor. She invited Davidson and other scientists to follow Einstein’s advice, enlarge our compassion for other creatures, and cease such cruel experiments on other animals. I only wish I caught her name. But thank you, whoever you might be.

Stewart N. Thorpe,
Sophomore, Communication