Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Observing or studying animalscan help us to understand human nature. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
你是否同意以下观点?观察和学习动物可以帮助我们理解人类本性。请用具体的理由和事例来说明。
It seems clear that there is something to be learned about human behavior through the observation of animal behavior, especially behavior of our close relatives on the evolution charts. Studies about aggression, sexual behavior, grief, etc. in animals have helped explain such aspects in humans and led to effective treatments and better understanding of the problem. The observational work of the famous scientist Jane Goodall is an example. She has shown that animal behavior is very similar to ours; understanding theirs in their basic animal status with far fewer “intellectual” factors helps us better see the fundamental basis for our own behavior.
The more controversial question of trying to understand human nature by the study of animals in terms of using drugs, chemicals or certain treatments raises questions of ethics and potential cruelty to animals. Nevertheless, the genetic closeness of some animals to humans does, in fact, make these experiments very useful for the study of human behavior. Examples of these studies are the effects of certain chemicals, drugs and treatments, on animals trying to induce or reduce such emotions as depression, a serious problem in many humans. Other animal studies related to human behavior have involved important human behavior issues such as fear, joy, off-spring rejection, etc.The fact that these studies have been so prevalent shows that they are considered by the scientific community as helpful in understanding human behavior.
Can these observations and studies help us understand human behavior? It seems that the answer is “Yes”。 But this question cannot be fully dealt with without asking the follow-on question-Is it ethical and justified? My own opinion is that, though it may seem cruel to induce fear or off-spring rejection in animals, I think these studies are justified rather than using other humans to study such behavior.
So, in summary-yes; observing and studying animals can help us understand human nature.