Science and social responsibility: the ethical implications of scientific progress concern everyone

UNESCO Courier, May, 1998 by Georges B. Kutukdjian

The answers to these questions go beyond the narrow confines of professional practice and national borders. In a multipolar world characterized by an unprecedented splintering of perceptions, it is more than ever necessary to strive for the emergence of values which will make our common existence technologically, ecologically and socially viable.

Such ethical reflection calls for a free and open exchange of experience and ideas among decision-makers, specialists and representatives of the civil society, in all its diversity, in order to identify the issues, set points of reference and advocate a range of forward-looking alternatives.

The development of science must henceforth be examined in a new framework. At the end of the twentieth century, the "battlefield" has become primarily one of economic warfare, and economies are increasingly being dominated by scientific knowledge, technologies and information. What has to be done is to develop new forms of knowledge and share them. Sharing knowledge goes together with sharing responsibilities. Science needs to be perceived as a liberating force.

At the same time, we cannot overlook the gap between the state of science in the developed and developing countries. Some of the developing countries are facing crucial choices. Should the State devote its resources to science or should it tackle more urgent problems such as access to drinking water, for example? It should be recalled that industrial research is non-existent in the developing countries and that some of them do not allocate even one per cent of their gross national product (GNP) to science. For example, there is no research centre for industrial chemistry in any developing country. Meanwhile, the industrially developed countries seem to be suffering the consequences of the lack of flexibility that characterizes their unwieldy research institutions. It is as if the ability of science to create wealth were a burden on its own organization. These cumbersome and administration-oriented structures are discouraging investment by the industrial sector.

This is why there is a need to work out new strategies of scientific development. It is necessary to establish flexible structures of international co-operation and to turn science into an "international undertaking", for example through partnership programmes and by tightening the links between research work in all countries through conferences, publications, networks, the use of new information and communication technologies.

It can be seen today that there is a profound failure of understanding between laboratory science and the general public. This failure often stems from a lack of knowledge and is based on mistrust and fear: research workers sometimes have a dehumanizing and reductionist view of the public and, at the same time, the public is becoming increasingly wary of science.

The public increasingly expects that major engineering works, in particular those involving technological hazards, should be preceded by comprehensive, stringent and independent technology assessment studies. These studies should take into account unavoidable technological risks, which cannot be altogether eliminated but must be reduced to a minimum, and should also address the question of hazard management. Their results should be made public in accessible form.

Transparency, truth and trust

The three Ts in this exercise are: transparency, truth and trust. Of course, transparency is time-consuming, but it is an essential ingredient of trust. This is also the case of truth. Misinformation or half-truths fuel rumours, induce fears and discredit those responsible for public information.

Accumulated experience illustrates that information provided in an impartial way is generally rewarded by responsible behaviour by the population concerned. This is particularly true in the case of the prevention and management of natural disasters, where UNESCO has acquired some expertise.

Surveys show that this is also true in the medical field, in particular in genetics. In fact, such a trustful relationship can stimulate the creativity of a population in response to a new and unexpected situation. Of course, a number of international guidelines and directives adopted by intergovernmental bodies, addressing these issues, exist; for instance in experimentation on human subjects or clinical trials, not to mention national Parliamentary legislation.

The safety issue is closely linked to the principle of precaution. (See article page 23.) More specifically, there is a felt need for education and information of the public at large, starting with the populations directly concerned. Mechanisms that guarantee the informed participation of the public should be devised. To be effective, these mechanisms must rely on the local authorities and involve leading figures of the civil society, as well as associations, consumer groups and other nongovernmental organizations which have a key role to play in this area provided they are involved from the inception of the project.