The importance and need for civil, open dialogue about the
complex set of issues involved in use of animals is among the
points of agreement between members of the scientific community,
the public, animal rights activists, and others. Speaking of
Research, along with others, has consistently advocated for such
dialogue and has engaged in it via a number of venues, including
our blog, public events, conference presentations, and articles.
Such dialogue often takes place without clear specification of
the starting positions held by the people engaged in the
conversation. The problem with this approach was recently
highlighted by Dario Ringach in his posts about a series of
public forums on ethics and animal research (here, here, here).
The basic position of those engaged in animal research is
obvious in part by the nature of their work. Furthermore, the
very structure of the current regulations and practices reflect–
both implicitly and explicitly– a set of positions on the
ethical and moral considerations rele