The Right to Science: Ensuring that Everyone Benefits from Scientific and Technological Progress

Abstract

The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications has long been neglected, both in theory and in practice. Even scholars, advocates, and jurists deeply involved in the human rights field are likely to express uncertainty as to what the right to science concretely requires…if they are even aware of its existence. This essay seeks to remedy that obscurity, providing a highly accessible account of the right to science that is both philosophically grounded and very practical. In short, the right to science calls for treating science and technology as global public goods, to be cultivated for the benefit of humanity and made accessible to all, just as with other socioeconomic rights such as education and healthcare. The essay then elaborates what that broad vision means for minimum core content. Particular emphasis is given to reconciling the potential tension between the right to science and intellectual property regimes.