The Right to Benefit from Scientific Progress

Abstract

Abstract This chapter presents the normative basis and content of the fourth cluster of rights within the right to science: to benefit from scientific progress. This right contains five rights: to access scientific knowledge; to anticipation and monitoring of impacts; to the development of beneficial applications; to the diffusion of and access to applications; and to policies aligned with scientific evidence. Framing scientific science as a global public good, the argument identifies the human rights standards that require that scientific knowledge and applications be made widely accessible to the public. It also critically assesses the precautionary principle as a regulatory tool to protect society from the harmful impacts of science and proposes the principle of prudence as better fitting human rights standards. The duty of policymakers to adhere to these standards and to adopt policies aligned with scientific evidence are also discussed. The chapter closes by proposing indicators to monitor compliance with these standards.