Abstract - This essay explores the ethics of animal experimentation through Martin Seligman’s work on Learned Helplessness, analyzing the principles of rationality, utilitarianism, and emotion. Seligman and proponents of animal experimentation justify such practices based on the principle of rationality, positing that animals lack cognitive capacities comparable to humans. Supporters of utilitarianism emphasize maximizing overall utility, often unfairly prioritizing human interests. However, these views are critiqued in light of modern research on animal cognition and emotions, revealing their capacity for self-awareness, empathy, and suffering. This essay argues that rationality alone is insufficient to determine moral status, as the theory itself is paradoxical when it comes to the shared traits of disabled humans and animals. It further critiques utilitarianism for neglecting moral emotions like compassion. Advocating for the principle of emotion, the essay underscores the ethical obligation to respect animals' intrinsic value and calls for a balanced framework that harmonizes rationality with empathy and care.
Yifeng Cao
April 18, 2025
It is 2024 and Sudan is embroiled in another civil war. The deteriorating situation marks deliberate army attacks on civilians and farming infrastructure, resulting in people losing their homes and being unable to feed themselves. Amid the violence, people eat clumps of dirt and tattered leaves, subsisting off meager drops of oil to survive the famine as whole villages are being razed to the ground. Moreover, over 25 million civilians are on the brink of starvation in a country that has been historically the region’s breadbasket. As tensions escalated, foreign players in the conflict, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE), took control of Sudanese land. In fact, the UAE’s mission to ensure its future food security through land grabs, a common issue in Africa, has been disastrous, causing a massive famine at the expense of Sudanese people. To address this plight, local resistance committees have made collective efforts to alleviate the famine by offering aid and protesting land grabs via grassroot networks, in lieu of governmental and UN inaction.
Zihao Guo
March 06, 2025
In 2022, the price of natural gas in the UK increased by 500 percent, a prominent example of a global energy price surge due to a significant energy crisis. The shortage can be partially attributed to geopolitical conflicts between Ukraine and Russia as well as between Israel and Iran, the two largest suppliers of traditional energy sources, and has posed serious questions to the development of sustainable transportation. While the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced people’s willingness to ride public transport, the accessibility of electric vehicles (EVs) has made more people shift to private transportation. With an average price advantage of US$10,164 per vehicle, the EV market took off during this era along with their perceived sustainable edge. However, even though EVs are considered more environmentally friendly than traditional cars, their hybrid nature still means that they require fossil fuels in operation. In order to address the primary energy problem, several car companies have pivoted towards utilizing hydrogen fuel as a selling point for their new product, claiming that it is an almost entirely sustainable resource with some manufacturers already investing in research on it. For example, the Toyota Mirai has been of interest, with a horsepower of 182HP, as well as the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, with a horsepower of 401HP. Effectively addressing the global energy crisis requires collective effort from governments, international car corporations, and individual drivers. Hydrogen, as a promising alternative energy source, offers significant opportunities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels but also introduces challenges in terms of infrastructure, cost, and resilience in the face of climate change.
Zili Zhou
March 06, 2025
George William Casey Jr., the Multinational Force commander during the Iraq War, described Iraq as “the most volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment [he’s] ever seen.” The VUCA aspects he referred to captures not only the challenges of war but also the persisting social and cultural struggles the Iraqi people faced. Since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Iraq has experienced continuous conflict, economic challenges, and societal upheaval. Each conflict—from the Gulf War to the United States Invasion and the ISIS insurgency—has further deepened existing inequalities and inflicted disproportionate suffering on women. These successive wars have not only destroyed infrastructure and strained the national economy, but also entrenched cultural and systemic inequalities that perpetuate women's vulnerability.
Henry Wu
March 06, 2025
1776 was a pivotal year in the American struggle for independence. In his book, 1776, David McCullough portrays George Washington as a central figure in the narrative. In particular, the author focuses on the complexities and weaknesses of General Washington’s leadership during the Revolutionary War. His limited military experience; the way his emotions influenced his decisions, and deficiencies in tactical execution all hampered his ability to effectively lead the Continental Army, of which he was Commander-in-Chief.
Haosheng Xue
February 07, 2025
This essay examines the impact of the Holocaust on the Jews, its impact on our understanding of human nature, and its enduring legacy today from Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night. Since Hitler was not only against the Jewish people but also against their religion, culture, and tradition, it is not difficult to prove that he intended to also erase their memory. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night mentioned that the Holocaust was not just a massive exploitation of the Jewish people, but also an indelible shadow that seems to hang over the subsequent development of the Jewish people, leaving a deep scar in the common memory of Jewish consciousness. Since he experienced such painful memory, why did Elie Wiesel insist on returning to those experiences to write his book?
Jiaqi Guo
January 09, 2025
Copyright © 2023 The Global Horizon 沪ICP备14003514号-6