Scientists & Human Rights: An Historical Partnership

Abstract

Assuming that science and human values are inextricably intertwined, this essay reviews the historical origins of ‘science activism’ and some of the debates linked to the modern concept of the ‘citizen scientist’. The post-World War II period is shown to be a turning point toward enlarged notions of scientific responsibility, newly informed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Scientists contributed to debate over the need for such a Declaration in 1948, and have ever increasingly come to rely on its protection, as seen by contemporary examples of scientists and science associations in one country invoking human rights norms to protest political repression of scientists in other countries. Moreover, recent technological and cultural changes are linked not only to scientists defending abused colleagues overseas, called for by the late Andre Sakharov, but more positively, examples are given of science in the service of human rights.