Vivisection in Historical Perspective

The debate about vivisection is over 150 years old yet until this book was published in 1987 there had been few studies of the historical context of the vivisection controversy. This book provides that context. It places the often vehement arguments of pro- and anti-vivisectionists in the wider conflicts over the value of modern science in general. Pro-vivisection has been linked to a scientocratic view of society and at different times also to positivist philosophy, materialism, political radicalism and socialism. Anti-vivisection societies originated at a time when scientists first began to usurp a major share of the ‘estates’ of cultural authority. Idealist philosophy, the suffragette movement and antisemitism have all been linked to the anti-vivisection movement. Such connections show that the controversy’s roots reach deep into broad, cultural divisions, often functioning as a catalyst of wider conflicts in society as a whole.