Synthetic Death

I’m in a strange emotional space. I’m used to an inner life that’s a zigzag ride between certainty and uncertainty. But during these last few intense days these uncertainties are of a different colour.

For me the only difference between cooking a chicken curry and working with animal materials in labs is that one activity is labeled  ‘science’ and the other not. They are both morally problematic, but in practice I accept and maintain that I’m pretty comfortable about both. I’m not directly involved with the “killing” in these cases but as with today’s discussion regarding the fate of an ant, I too have squashed bugs, caught fish and put out mousetraps (and dealt with the result). This direct killing can sometimes give us pause but for some reason all these everyday manipulations and destructions of life are not treated with the same level of seriousness as when conducted by scientists (or artists) in the lab.

The need for precision, control and safety in a lab creates a highly contrived ‘artificial’ environment. As soon as we enter this space with its specialised equipment and modes of dress we are subject to a new set of ‘scientific’ rules and rituals. We’ve talked about synthetic life. Perhaps the precise and mechanistic way with which life must be treated in a lab experiment creates a ‘synthetic death’ that disturbs us more because of its aparent disconnection from the real world. Perhaps the hand of humanity covered in a latex glove and wielding a scalpel instead of a kitchen knife brings the reality of how humans use animals disturbingly into focus.