Canadian students propose some 'principles for science'
22 April 1999
[OTTAWA] A group of graduate students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, has produced a set of 21 'principles for science', intended as a contribution to the discussion leading up to the World Conference on Science, and described as "a declaration of interdependence for the 21st century".
The principles endorse the concept of scientific freedom - including the freedom to publish research results and attend conferences both at home and abroad - while acknowledging that such freedom "is neither absolute nor unfettered", and argue for better, long-term commitment to basic science in all countries.
They also state that, contrary to trends towards commercialisation, scientific knowledge should be disseminated freely and openly. "Developing countries, in particular, require affordable and ready access to research results if they are to prosper in the next millennium."
The students are all participants in a graduate seminar on science, technology and international affairs, led by Gerald Graham of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. They have been studying the preparations for the World Conference and statements made by participants in the process.
One of the more controversial suggested principles is that "the public has a right to be involved in every stage of the scientific process, from the conception of a project to its ultimate completion". Scientists, the students suggest, "have a duty to provide this opportunity to the community."
Another suggestion, which echoes pleas already made by several countries in the preparatory process, is that "the province of science includes not just the modern western concept of science, but also traditional, community-based and indigenous knowledge systems. Intellectual property rights need to be extended to these sui generis areas."
A global ethical commission, they say, should be established to draft a code of conduct for scientists, and to monitor compliance with it. 'Bioprospecting' and animal testing should be high on the commission's agenda. And multilateral agreements are urgently needed in the areas of genetically-modified organisms, human cloning; and ownership of the human genome.
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Nature © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 1999 Registered No. 785998 England.