Working Hypothesis:

The use of land for livestock farming would be better served and more sustainable long term for agricultural farming.

Purposeful Summaries:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/is-the-livestock-industry-destroying-the-planet-11308007/

The current use of land for both livestock and the feed for livestock is increasing at a rate that our earth can not keep up with. Wherever livestock farming is prevalent, the surrounding ecosystem suffers, both physically and contributes to a loss of biodiversity. About 1/4 of the earths land is used for livestock grazing while a 1/3 of the arable land is used for the feed and to be able to support the livestock. The best way to help provide for the worldwide ecosystem is to focus on consuming less livestock foods and moving over to diets and cuisines based more on plants

https://gaps.cornell.edu/educational-materials/decision-trees/land-use/

While livestock land can be converted to agricultural use, there are more aspects that go into food safety than any other uses for the land may have. The location of land used for agricultural use has to be considered with how the land may have been previously used, its relation to points of resistance like proximity to drainage, water sources, sanitation sources, etc. Other things like the layout of the land make it so that land that can be used for other reasons may not have agricultural purpose.

https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/why-us-beef-isnt-causing-deforestation-and-land-use-change-elsewhere

Not all of the land used for cattle can be used for other means, and not much of useable land has been converted into unusable livestock land. When looking as the US consumption of beef over time, the consumption for individuals has gone down, as well as exports leaving the us to other countries increasing. Even though exports have increased, those other countries receiving the product are still deforesting at the same rate as before increased exports. One of the most important things we can do right now is to help other livestock farms get to the same level of efficiency that the US has in its livestock, providing 18% of the worlds beef with only 8% of the worlds cattle.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6616661/

It is more important to the consumer now that the source of their food, and they look for resources to be used more efficiently, especially with a recent increase to the concern over environmental damage. Livestock farms can be used efficiently and can be sustainable if done correctly. There are many aspects to certain parts of land that make them useable for livestock, as livestock can eat foliage that humans cannot, and different ways of providing water to cattle in the most effective way is still being researched through a multitude of systems. Well managed and methods that do not degrade more land than that is needed is the preferable way of going about cattle farming.

https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/land-use

When considering the use of land, drawbacks must be consisted, as agricultural farming can effect aspects of nearby water and watersheds, loss of native habitats, as well as the increase of invasive species. When the use of land changes, what the land is being used for after the change may be negatively affected in a way that hurts the goals of that new land use. Urban development may be one of the most harmful changes in the use of land as it can add to pollution and even affect nearby climate. The potential damages caused by the changing of land is a cause of concern especially when it comes to land development and agriculture.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/moving-towards-sustainability-the-livestock-sector-and-the-world-bank

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2013.2025

https://www.fao.org/nr/sustainability/sustainability-and-livestock/en/

https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/key-issues/sustainable-livestock/

Current State of Research Paper:

After starting research, I was able to find many useful articles relating heavily to my hypothesis with mixed results on what they actually said in relation to it. I believe I want to focus on more scholarly sources on long term effects of agricultural farming, changes to livestock farming in the future, and the possible changes if general collective public shifted to more plant-centric diets.

1. Overpopulation.
2. Global overpopulation.
3. Positive and negative effects of overpopulation.
4. Thriving nations and their overpopulation positives and negatives.
5. Thriving vs least developed nations positives and negatives of overpopulation.
6. The current overpopulation rates of thriving vs least developed nations poses many positives and negatives for their future development.

Source 1- Population and Poverty

Article by UNFPA

Population and poverty. United Nations Population Fund. (2014). Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.unfpa.org/resources/population-and-poverty. 

This article illustrates the connection between poverty and population. Poverty is influenced by, and influences, population dynamics, including population growth, age structure, and rural-urban distribution. Investments in better health, including reproductive health, are essential to individual security which will improve the productivity and development prospects. Access to family planning will affect a country through voluntary fertility reduction and help break women out of intergenerational cycles of poverty. The more poverty, the more likely overpopulation will increase based on their poor living conditions. A country’s economic growth is shaped by overarching trends. Investing in young people’s education and health in large youth populations with declining fertility rates will see an economic boom soon after.

Source 2- U.S Global Coalition Tribute Dinner Feb 2, 2011. Remarks by Bill Gates

Transcript Bill Gates remarks – U.S. Global Leadership Coalition . U.S. Global Leadership Coalition . (2011, February 11). Retrieved October 13, 2021, from http://www.usglc.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/TRANSCRIPT-Bill-Gates-remarks.pdf. 

This Tribute Dinner has Bill Gates as the keynote speaker tasked with obtaining funds for his worldwide poverty eradication movement. Mr. Gates speaks about the possibility of the Gov spending funds from the perspective of a “businessman” while further promoting the idea that “investing in the world’s poorest people is the smartest way our government can spend money.” He continues to say, “I believe that the world will be a safer place if there is enough food to go around… it will be a more stable place if children grow up with opportunities instead of frustrations.” Mr. Gates illustrates how “in the future, the growth of these developing economies will be an engine for our own economy,” and continues by saying “our success is tied to the progress of those around us, and the investments we make today will help create the jobs of tomorrow.” Gates issues a warning on the importance of Global Fund saying, “when Global Fund is stolen, it costs lives, but we shouldn’t respond to the findings that a small portion of Global Fund has been misspent by calling for cuts because that will also cost lives.” The financial support of Global Fund will help the development of not only the poverty stricken nations, but in-turn, our own. 

Source 3- Can we reduce poverty with human capital? Narrated by Bill Gates.

(2018). Can We Reduce Poverty with Human Capital? Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swCxEmsXPs0&t=4s. 

Living in poverty means you have to think about your next meal all the time. Bill Gates states, “an extremely poor family only has access to the food they grow.” A bad harvest or cattle shortage will lead to a food shortage. Sub-Saharan Africa is only accounted for about 10% of overpopulation but it is estimated that in 2050, they will be accounted for about 80%. This problem needs to be addressed by funding these countries to decrease their poverty. Mr. Gates says, “babies will be born in the toughest circumstances in the most challenging places in the world,” continuing to say that, “they will be spending most of their time as a family/individual seeking out their next meal instead of their education and developing assets.” There needs to be extra investments in these really tough places to help development. To solve poverty reduction, there needs to be investments in education and health systems for the young.

Source 4- Will saving poor children lead to overpopulation? Narrated by Hans Rosling.

(2014). Will saving poor children lead to overpopulation? Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkSO9pOVpRM. 

Firstly, Hans Rosling contradicts the beliefs of communists by saying that “saving the poor children’s lives is required to end population growth.” 2 out of 7 billion people live in poverty. Those 2 billion have, on average, 5 children per family. With an expected 1 child death, this family will be succeeded by 4 children which increases population growth. The remaining 5 billion people are succeeded by 2 children per family, thus evening out population growth. Decreasing poverty will decrease population growth because parents in poverty have more children due to their tragically large mortality rates. To account for these mortality rates, the family has more children. Rosling lastly explains the problem by saying, “the longer poor children keep dying, and this change is delayed, the more billions will be added to the world.”

Current State of Research Paper-

The amount of sources needs to increase three or four fold, but I’ve made substantial progress and I am happy with the results. The continuation of the process of obtaining sources will increase my ability to write a good paper. The topic I choose gives plenty of new and interesting information to discover so I’m intrigued to learn more. 

-Working Hypothesis

By including financial literacy into our normal school curriculum, we can help students develop good money habits at a young age and prevent many of the mistakes that can lead to chronic poverty.

-Academic Sources

1.Why Financial Literacy Is So Important – Investopedia

One of the primary reasons many Americans struggle with saving and investing has been identified as a lack of financial awareness. Consumer behaviors and financial goods have changed, making it more difficult for Americans to manage their finances. Many people now prefer to purchase online, which makes it simple to utilize and overextend credit. As consumers manage their own retirement accounts and trade personal assets online, financial literacy is becoming increasingly crucial. Only 34% of respondents correctly answered at least four out of five FINRA-posed questions on the subject.People in industrialized or advanced economies, as well as those in economically growing or developing nations, are affected by a lack of financial literacy. Evidence suggests that highly educated, high-income customers can be just as clueless about financial matters as less-educated, lower-income consumers. Financial decision-making and education are perceived as complex and anxiety-inducing by consumers.

2.Financial Literacy – Overview, Benefits, Importance

Financial literacy is made up of five key components budgeting, investing borrowing, taxation, and personal financial management. The importance of financial literacy is without a doubt very essential, but we are still not taught in school . 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Credit cards are used by more than 189 million individuals in the United States, and more than 44 million people have student loan debt totalling $1.5 trillion. Making an effort to become financially literate is an important element of life since it may offer financial stability, reduce anxiety, and encourage the achievement of financial goals. People may enhance their financial literacy by using tools and online programs.

3.https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/39568/PDF/1/

In today’s modern world, it is important for a person to understand both their own money and the national and global economies. Many college students avoid attempting to learn about financial current events due to the unfamiliarity. This is why our service project focuses on developing a course that will be given through Rutgers University’s Freshman Interest Group Seminar (FIGS). Personal finance and current economic market problems will be included in the curriculum. We are living at a watershed moment in world history, with the global economy serving as the driving force.

4.Should Financial Literacy Be Taught in More Schools? – Dave …

At least 78 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, many relying on credit cards to make ends meet. 71 percent of individuals are in debt and believe it is a normal part of life. Many of the financial issues that Americans are today might have been averted if financial literacy had been taught in schools.

One of the first steps students should do is to begin saving money for unexpected expenses. Our financial literacy program educates children on the risks of debt and how to get out of it as soon as possible. Cash-paying students, on the other hand, eagerly await the start of a new chapter in their lives. Students who are debt-free and save money properly have the chance to live and contribute like no one else.By changing the poisonous money culture, our movement will usher in a new normal. And it takes place one learner at a time. Every year, thousands of students benefit from the Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum.

5.The Case for High School Financial Literacy – Champlain ..

Many governments and school districts do not teach substantial personal finance education until high school, if at all. The initial stage in mathematics is counting, which is followed by addition and subtraction, and eventually division and multiplication. Personal finance education should be a year-round activity, with age-appropriate courses taught throughout the year. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the high school dropout rate in 2015 was about 6%. Regardless of when a young person’s formal education ends, they will be thrust into settings in which they must learn how to manage day-to-day living expenses.It is difficult to quantify the amount and intensity of personal financial teaching that occurs in people’s homes.

3. Topics for small paper

1. The importance of financial literacy
2. Why it should be taught in schools
3. The negative impact financial illiteracy can have on people’s lives.

Working Hypothesis 1: Eliminating the single-minded search for happiness in life would increase the well-being of people who shift their focus to identifying the fulfilling purpose of life.

Purposeful Summaries:

1. The Pursuit of Happiness Can Be Lonely

Mauss, I. B., Savino, N. S., Anderson, C. L., Weisbuch, M., Tamir, M., & Laudenslager, M. L. (2011, September 12). The Pursuit of Happiness Can Be Lonely. Emotion. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0025299

Even though it is natural to want and search for happiness, valuing happiness may have negative consequences. According to most North Americans, they value wanting to be happy above many other goals with the expectation that happiness not only feels good but is beneficial for you. Happiness is usually defined in terms of personal positive feelings or a personal gain and striving for personal gains can damage connections with others. For example, people who have high self-esteem often fail to attend to others’ needs and a narrow determination of achieving goals can cause people to disregard others’ feelings. This causes the pursuit for happiness to damage people’s connections with others and result in loneliness. Studies were conducted and examined correlations between valuing happiness and reports of loneliness in a large community sample. Another study was conducted as well to test the effects of an experimental manipulation of valuing happiness on loneliness, through self-reports and a hormonal indicator, progesterone, of social connection. These results suggest that valuing happiness is linked to greater loneliness on a suggestive basis.

2. The Paradox of Pursuing Happiness

Zerwas FK, Ford BQ. The paradox of pursuing happiness. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. 2021;39:106-112. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154621000541. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.03.006.

Despite a common misconception that happiness is beneficial for you, a considerable amount of evidence suggests that valuing happiness to an extreme degree can backfire. The more value that people invest in happiness, the less happy they are in actuality. People approach the process of pursuing happiness similar to how they would approach any other goal. Typically, the more someone strives towards a goal the more likely they are to reach that goal. However, this logic doesn’t apply to happiness. Studies have shown that people who extremely value happiness are also less likely to attain long-term happiness, which is explained by lower levels of psychological well-being and life satisfaction. These patterns were strongly emphasized for individuals experiencing low life stress. It was also shown that those who pursue happiness, seem to be at risk for poor mental health and are associated with more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, it is found that having high expectations for the intensity of one’s happiness can be damaging by making the goal highly unreachable. Monitoring one’s progress towards happiness also creates room for negative meta-emotions, which are a negative emotional response to an original emotion.

3. The Dark Side of Happiness

Gruber, J., Mauss, I. B., & Tamir, M. (2011). A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness Is Not Always Good. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(3), 222–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691611406927

There is a strong popular and scientific emphasis on happiness in today’s society as a beneficial outcome, which is evident by the increasing demand for guidance through motivational speakers, life coaches, and self-help books all with the primary focus of increasing happiness. One question that is being asked is “Might happiness be dysfunctional at times?” Most people’s immediate response is in opposition to that question; however, people have not considered if happiness may, under certain circumstances, be maladaptive. If there is a high intensity of happiness, people experience no psychological or health gains and sometimes they may experience costs. For example, when experiencing high degrees of positive emotions, some individuals are more inclined to engage in riskier behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, binge eating, and drug use.

4. The Pursuit of Happiness and Materialism

Cui, P., Shen, Y., Hommey, C. et al. The dark side of the pursuit of happiness comes from the pursuit of hedonia: The mediation of materialism and the moderation of self-control. Curr Psychol (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02104-9

The dark sides of the pursuit of happiness have been emphasized before, but it does not deter people from pursuing happiness. There are few studies that explore the unethical behaviors of the dark side of the pursuit of happiness, but they do not distinguish the roles of different types of happiness. Based on hedonic and eudaimonic happiness orientations, the current research proposes that hedonic motives facilitated by materialism are more likely to lead to unethical behavior than eudaimonic motives. Hedomic motives focus on pleasure and happiness, while eudaimonic motives focus on meaning and personal expressiveness. A study was conducted in which 331 participants were sampled in an attempt to test these hypotheses and the results confirmed that hedonic motives promote unethical behavior through the facilitation of materialism. The study further found that self-control also plays a role in the relationship between materialism and unethical behavior. Overall, the study suggests that the dark side of the pursuit of happiness may arise from the pursuit of hedonia. As hedonic motives influence people toward the pursuit of extrinsic material goals, under low self-control level, people are more likely to choose active means to achieve extrinsic goals, which leads to a higher tendency to engage in unethical behaviors.

5. The Search for Meaning and Life Satisfaction

Park, N., Park, M., & Peterson, C. (2010). When is the Search for Meaning Related to Life Satisfaction? Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 2(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01024.x

The meaning of life is important for psychological and physical well-being, and it is both a goal for and a means to a fulfilling life. However, researchers have only recently looked at the presence of life meaning and the search for life meaning as separate concepts. In a directed study, 731 adult volunteers from the United States completed a questionnaire regarding the meaning of life, which separately examines the presence of meaning and the search for meaning, alongside measures of well-being. The results show that the presence and search for the meaning of life showed different relationships regarding well-being. The search for meaning was positively associated with well-being among those who already had considerable meaning in their life, as they displayed greater life satisfaction, more happiness, and less depression. The search for meaning in life is not only morally worthy but, also satisfying as it is successful.

Topics for Smaller Papers:

• Our happiness is influenced by what others define as happiness.
• We are unaware of our own happiness.
• The correlation between purpose and fulfillment.

Current State of Research Paper:

When I began my research process, I did not think I would find many sources to support my hypothesis. After Professor Hodges helped clarify my hypothesis, I was able to find multiple scholarly sources that provided support for my claims. However, I feel I need to find sources that are more specific to my topic and not as broad. As I continue my research, I am pretty confident that I will be able to obtain more topic-specific articles to support my hypothesis to ensure that my essay will be properly supported.

Working Hypothesis:

Scientists determine that the outcome of animal experimentation would not be beneficial because the physiology between animals and humans have major differences.

Summary 1: The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation

            Procedures in a laboratory may influence the animal’s behavior for which the scientist cannot control. The animal’s behavior may even affect the outcome of the experiment. Having an animal in an enclosed space can cause distress and even abnormal behaviors in the animals. An example of this phenomenon occurred with a test of rats. The rats became stressed and developed chronic inflammatory conditions, and even intestinal leakage. All of the variables can affect the date of the experiment.

Akhtar, A. (2015, October). The flaws and human harms of animal experimentation. Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics: CQ: the international journal of healthcare ethics committees. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594046/.

Summary 2: Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?

            The most common argument on animal experimentation is whether it is humane or not. Animals used in experiments are forced to eat/drink, and even deprivation. Sometimes animals are deliberately sickened with certain chemicals and infected with diseases. In some cases, at the and of the experiment, the animals are killed.  In January of 2020, the US Department of Agriculture reported that facilities used over 300,000 animals in activities that caused immense pain, only in that one year.

            On the other hand, animal testing contributes to life-saving treatments to humans. The first ever vaccine was created with the help of reaching cows, which helped end smallpox. Smallpox first emerged from cattle called cowpox. The vaccine shows how closely animals and humans are related. Animal testing continues to create breakthroughs with the healthcare system today.

Pros & Cons – ProCon.org. Animal Testing. (2020, June 10). Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://animal-testing.procon.org/.

Summary 3: Ethics of Animal Experimentation

             Animal research is extremely important to the advancement of medicine and even science. The number of lives saved by the inventions derived from experimentation is numerous. Even though this data seems positive, many people continue to be controversial about the opinion. Animal research first began back in the fifth century, starting with the Greeks, such as Aristotle. In this time period, the Greeks performed exploratory surgeries on live animals. This later was developed into punishments for criminals. The real debate upon animal experimentation started during the Renaissance period. Different groups pushed their voice aloud, saying how inhumane animal experimentation is and how it should be stopped. Some people even say that animals should not be even kept as pets.

            Cornett, E. M., Jones, M. R., & Kaye, A. D. (2019, May 11). Ethics of animal experimentation – springer. Ethics of Animal Experimentation. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_25.

Summary 4: Why Animal Research?

The use of animal experimentation has been essential for the discovery of treatments for many years. People have always asked questions whether animal testing is actually ethical. But animal testing has been very critical for biomedical research. Scientists have confirmed that animals are susceptible to many of the same health conditions as humans. (Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.) Animals have a much shorter life cycle compared to humans, so it is very easy to study their whole life span. Scientists can also see how a disease can progress and how it acts with an entire biological system.

Animal Research at Stanford. (n.d.). Why animal research? Animal Research at Stanford. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://med.stanford.edu/animalresearch/why-animal-research.html.

Summary 5: Should Animals be Used in Research?

Removing animals in a lab will impede our understanding on health and disease, but sometimes these experiments shorten the quality of life for the animals. Scientists have created a principle to help minimize the pain animals could experience. The principle is called the ‘three Rs.’ The three Rs are reduce, replace, and refine. First off, scientists need to reduce the number of animals used in experiments. By sharing information to other scientists, it helps stop creating the same experiments over and over again. Replacing with computer modeling, or cell culture or even human volunteers instead of using animals. Finally, refine the way animals are cared for. Scientists need to try to minimize the pain that animals may feel. Try using less invasive procedures and improve the living conditions where the animals are staying.

The Public Engagement team at the Wellcome Genome Campus. (2017, March 3). Should animals be used in research? Debates. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.yourgenome.org/debates/should-animals-be-used-in-research.

Topics for Smaller Papers (Work in progress)

1. Animal testing (just within) cosmetics
2. Positive outcomes of animal experimentation