TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A professor stirred controversy on Monday (July 10) when he conducted an "experiment" that involved putting a live goldfish in a blender.

While leading a summer class on humanities on Monday at National Taiwan University, Lai Chung-hsiung (賴俊雄), a professor at National Cheng Kung University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, took out a blender, put a goldfish in it, and said the day's experiment was to "turn a goldfish into juice" — though it was not harmed in the end.

Lai explained that it was an experiment inspired by an art installation held in 2000 at the Trapholt museum called "Helena," according to a Liberty Times report.

The work consisted of a row of 10 blenders with each containing a goldfish. One museum visitor pushed the blender's "on" button and killed two goldfish, reported BBC.

This prompted a lawsuit by animal rights activists. However, the court ruled the incident did not represent animal cruelty because the fish died instantly.

Lai was cited by the newspaper as saying the objective of his experiment was to help students respect life. By using "events" and "emotions" as real-life triggers, Lai said the aim was to inspire students to engage in critical thinking and discussions.

Lai told the students that if they found the experiment too disturbing, they could leave the classroom before it took place. He said that about 20 out of 200 students then left the room.

He then asked a male volunteer to step up and press the button. However, when he pressed the button, the device did not activate because Lai had asked an assistant to unplug it before the experiment was held.

This sparked a lot of discussion among the students. Some said innocent lives should not be taken for the sake of an experiment, while others asked why it was not really plugged in to achieve the effect of the experiment.

Lai reportedly responded by saying, "I am an educator. I am here to inspire you to think, not to kill goldfish."

After the experiment ended, Lai asked the class to give a round of applause to 20 students who left the classroom before the experiment started. He said they deserved it because they had a moral conscience and the courage not to participate in the experiment.

Many students reportedly broke down and cried, gathering in the corridor with medical staff to seek comfort, reported Up Media. One of the students who participated uploaded a post to social media complaining that some students suffered psychological trauma.

The goldfish was reportedly taken back to the home of its owner in Tainan City and is alive and well, as of press time.