Scientific and technological developments and human rights

In spite of being an anniversary piece, however, this publication hails to the future and provides a thought-provoking overview of the problems yet to be encountered by the international community. For this original idea we are indebted to Professor Emmanuel Roucounas, member of the Academy of Athens, who had the scientific supervision of the conference documented here. His was the inspiration to avoid looking back to the achievements of past decades -as anniversary publications usually do - and instead concentrate on the impact of scientific and technological developments upon selected areas of human endeavour. In the six parts of this book, we were thus able to address issues pertaining to the impact of technological development on workers' rights; communication and intellectual property; technology and the protection of privacy; biomedicine and human rights; technological development, equality and non-discrimination; and finally the adjustment of technological progress to human rights. We have asked distinguished members of the world academic community, not only jurists but also philosophers, sociologists, biologists and medical doctors, to contribute their expertise and experience in setting a path for the future and attempting to guide us through the years to come.