Great Testimony against scientific cruelty

by Stephen Coleridge

"Great Testimony against Scientific Cruelty" by Stephen Coleridge is a compelling historical account written in the early 20th century, specifically around the time of World War I. This book serves as a strong critique against vivisection and the cruelty inflicted upon animals in the name of scientific progress, reflecting the ethical debates that arose during the Victorian and Edwardian eras related to animal rights and welfare. In this work, Coleridge gathers together the voices of influential individuals from various fields—including poets, philosophers, and religious leaders—who condemned vivisection. The text highlights the efforts of figures like the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, Miss Frances Power Cobbe, and Cardinal Manning, among others, as they fought against animal cruelty and advocated for ethical treatment. Through vivid illustrations and powerful rhetoric, Coleridge articulates the moral imperatives dictating a need for compassion towards animals, while confronting the cold rationality of so-called scientific pursuits that disregard the suffering of sentient beings. This book profoundly questions the ethics of scientific methodology that endorses cruelty, urging society to recognize and rectify such abominable practices.