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Crazy Like a Fox

Validity and Ethics of Animal Models of Human Psychiatric Disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2014

MICHAEL D. H. ROLLIN  and
BERNARD E. ROLLIN
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Abstract:

Animal models of human disease play a central role in modern biomedical science. Developing animal models for human mental illness presents unique practical and philosophical challenges. In this article we argue that (1) existing animal models of psychiatric disease are not valid, (2) attempts to model syndromes are undermined by current nosology, (3) models of symptoms are rife with circular logic and anthropomorphism, (4) any model must make unjustified assumptions about subjective experience, and (5) any model deemed valid would be inherently unethical, for if an animal adequately models human subjective experience, then there is no morally relevant difference between that animal and a human.

Keywords

animal modelsmental illnesspsychiatric diseasemodel validityanthropomorphismnosology
Type
Special Section: Neuroethics and Animals
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 140 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

Notes

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