When Technology and Humanity Cross

WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY CROSS
Intended Learning Outcomes:

Examine human rights in order to uphold such rights in technological ethical dilemmas.
Statements Extremely Somewhat To a limit Somewhat Extremely

Agree Agree Extent Disagree Disagree
Human rights are fundamental
rights
Responding to urgent global
challenges allows setting aside
some human rights.
It is not the duty of scientists and
innovators to protect the well-being
and dignity of humans.
Human rights should be at the core
of any scientific and technological
endeavor.
A good life is a life where human
rights are upheld.
Human rights should be integral in
the journey toward the ultimate
good.
It is not the primary function of
science and technology to protect
the weak, poor, and vulnerable.
There is no way for science and
technology to fully function as a
safeguard of human rights.
A human rights-based approach to
science, technology, and
development is imperative.
The protection of human rights and
continued scientific and
technological advancement can
work hand-in-hand.
Human rights in the fate of scientific and technological advancement are critical factors
in one’s journey toward eudaimonia or the good life. Exercising the right to accept or reject,
minimize or maximize, and evaluate and decide on the scope and function of science and
technology indicates human flourishing in science and technology. Protecting the well-being and
upholding the dignity of the human person must be at the core of continued scientific and
technological progress and development. Such is the focus of a human rights-based approach
to science, technology, and development.
S. Romi Mukherjee, a seinor lecturer in Political Theory and the History of Religions at
the Paris Institute of Polotical Studies, explained a human rights-based approach to science,
technology, and development as follows:
“[It] seeks to place concern for human rights at the heart of how the international
community engages with urgent global challenges. The UN Development Programme
characterizes this approach as one that “leads to better and more sustainable outcomes
by analyzing and addressing the inequalities, discriminatory practices and unjust power
relations which are often at the heart of development problems. It puts the international
human rights entitlements and claims of the people (the “right-holders”) and the
corresponding obligations of the state (the duty-bearer) in the center of the national
development debate, and it clarifies the purpose of capacity development.
Mukherjee (2012) furthered that this approach identifies science as “a socially organized
human activity which is value-laden and shaped by organizational structures and procedures”.
Moreover, it requires an answer to whether governments and other stakeholders can craft and
implement science and technology policies that “ensure safety, health and livelihoods; include
people’s needs and priorities in development and environmental strategies; and ensure they
participate in decision-making that affects their lives and resources.
Multiple international statutes, declarations, and decrees have been produced to ensure
well-being and human dignity. Mukherjee listed some of the most important documents that
center on a human rights-based approach to science, development, and technology, and their
key principles.
Table 2. Useful documents for a human-rights based approach to science, technology, and
development.
Document Key Principles

Universal Declaration of Human Rights This document affirms everyone’s right to
(Article 27) participate in and benefit from scientific
misuses. The right to the benefits of science
comes under the domain of ‘culture’, so it is
usually examined from a cultural rights
perspective.
UNSECO Recommendation on the Status of This document affirms that all advances in
Scientific Researchers – 1974 (Article 4) scientific and technological knowledge should
solely be geared towards the welfare of the
global citizens, and calls upon member states
to develop necessary protocol and policies to
monitor and secure this objective. Countries
are asked to show that science and
technology are integrated into polices that
aim to ensure a more humane and just
society.
UNESCO Declaration on the Use of Scientific This document states, “Today, more than
Knowledge – 1999 (Article 33) ever, science and its applications are
indispensable for development. All levels of
government and the private sector should
provide enhanced support for building up an
adequate and evenly distributed scientific and
technological capacity through the
appropriate education and research
programmes as an indispensable foundation
for economic, social, cultural and
environmentally sound development. This is
particularly sound development. This is
particularly urgent for developing countries”.
This Declaration encompasses issues such
as pollution-free production, efficient resource
use, biodiversity protection, and brain drains.
A human rights-based approach to science, technology, and development sets the

parameters for the appraisal of how science, technology, and development promote human
well-being. Thus, the discussion of human rights in the face of changing scientific and
technological contexts must not serve as merely decorative moral dimension of scientific and
technological policies. As Mukherjee (2012) posited, this approach “can form the very heart of
sustainable futures”.
Human rights should be integral to the journey towards the ultimate good. They should
guide guide humans not only to flourish as individual members of society, but also assist each
other in flourishing collectively as society, as Mekherjee put it. They may function as the “golden
mean”, particularly by protecting the weak, poor, and vulnerable from the deficiencies and
excesses of science and technology. By imposing upon science and technology the moral and
ethical duty to protect and uphold human rights, there can be a more effective and sustainable
approach to bridging the gap between poor and rich countries on both tangible (e.g., services
and natural resources) and intangible (e.g., well-being and human dignity) aspects. Ultimately,
all these will lead humans to flourish together through science and technology.
Activity 1. Instructions: Answer the following questions in your own words based on your
understanding of Mukherjee’s human rights-based approach to science,
technology, and development. Limit your responses to three to four sentences
only.
1. What is a human rights-based approach to science, technology, and development?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. How do the documents and their key principles presented in Table 2 position human rights in
the intersection of technology and humanity.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Why should human rights be at the core of scientific and technological advancement?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. What is the danger of using human rights as merely decorative moral dimension of scientific
and technological polices?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
5. Do you agree with Mukherjee’s assertion that a human rights-based approach to science,
technology, and development can form the very heart of sustainable futures? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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WHEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY CROSS

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Statements Extremely Somewhat To a limit Somewhat Extremely

Document Key Principles

A human rights-based approach to science, technology, and development sets the

1. What is a human rights-based approach to science, technology, and development?

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