“Sleeping Beauty”: The Right to Science as a Global Ethical Discourse

Abstract

Everyone has a human right to science (RtS), as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Despite its significance for scientists and society, this right has not received the attention it deserves. To remedy this, the United Nations called for input from academic and scientific communities in 2009. Its Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is currently drafting a General Comment—a document of authoritative guidance to state parties on the normative contents of the RtS. The scientific community is therefore in a unique position to influence how this right is elucidated within a human rights context. Informed by a systematic review of the relevant literature, we first explore the history, importance, and content of the RtS. We then examine a few important topics that fall within the remit of the RtS but were absent or inadequately addressed in the extant literature, and conclude by discussing the implications of the RtS for science policy.