Exercise 1.

Name: Therese Janine D. Hetutua Date Submitted: 12-20-20

Course & Section: BSAC 2B

1. What is human rights-based approach to science, technology and development

 A human rights-based approach to science, technology and development
seeks to place a concern for human rights at the heart of how the international
community engages with urgent global challenges.

2. How do the documents and their key principles presented in Table 2,

position human rights in the intersection of technology and humanity?
 This Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common
s t a n d a r d o f achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end
that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration
constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote
res pect for these rights and freedoms and by progress ive
measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective
recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States
themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

3. Why should human rights be at the core of scientific and technological

advancements?
 By now we are well accustomed to viewing education and health care as
public goods, to be publicly supported and made available for the benefit of
all. The right to science encourages us to approach science and technology in
a similar way.Technology has a great capacity to save and improve lives,
when it is directed to those ends. Beyond the utilitarian value of technology,
participation in the collective process of scientific and technological
development has an intrinsic value –as an opportunity to give expression to
our human nature, cultivate the human personality, and build international
understanding.

4. What is the danger of using human rights as merely decorative moral dimension of
scientific and technological policies?
 The imposing danger that is possibly out there brought by decorative moral
dimensions towards scientific and technological polices is it could prove
detrimental to its usage.

5. Do you agree with Mukherjee’s assertion that a human rights-based approach to

science, technology, and development can form the very heart of sustainable futures?
Explain.
 We now come to development. Development can take place with human
welfare, not human rights, in focus. Human welfare can be promoted by
consistent and sustainable development. This requires every person to do his
assigned duty in the development process. Rights will follow automatically in
due course. If the initial emphasis is on rights, orderly development can be
obstructed periodically. This form of implementing development projects
would not be sustainable. Nothing would be achieved by way of human
welfare. The left liberal politicians and the supporting cast of academics and
 media will gain substantial publicity. That serves their welfare, not that of the
people in general. That's why they emphasize on “human rights" on every
issue, often promoting anarchy.

Assignment 8. Reading Enrichment Task

1.

A. What are the ethical dilemmas posed by robotics?

 A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to
come to harm; 2) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law; and 3) A robot must protect its
own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second
Laws.

B. Which among the instrument for human rights-based approach to science, technology,
and development discussed in this section may be useful in contending with ethical
dilemmas of robotics?
 Since the instruments may seem theoretical in nature to address such issues,
the potential to solving this certain dilemma is worth to consider. The three
laws mentioned might seem like a good way to keep robots from harming
people. But to a roboticist they pose more problems than they solve.For
science and technology, the approach requires scientists to go beyond
knowing how their work relates to human rights, and demands that they
strive to secure and affirm human rights through the knowledge they
produce. For instance, a rights-based approach to robotics creating an ethical
framework that guides research as it evolves would not only push the
frontiers of technology and seek humanity’s benefits, but actively guard
against the potential to create new weapons. There is a question, here, of
whether this is the responsibility of certain group only or the scientific
community in general.

C. How can the instrument inform lawyers and ethicists and engineers and
scientists in answering the moral and legal questions raised by the developments
in robotics?
 Laws will be helpful in protecting human rights at all costs and will also be
able to help the robot decide what is morally good and correct, despite it
being difficult to do, it is still possible. The robot will be fully functional
towards humans and will follow the laws it is programmed to do.

2.
A. Do you agree that Google is making humans stupid? Why or why not?
 Yes, Google is hampering our ability to recall information

B. What moral and ethical duty must be imposed upon the “duty-bearer”, in this case
Google, in protecting the well-being and dignity of humans?
 The moral and ethical duty that must be imposed upon the ‘duty-bearer,’ in
this case Google, in protecting the well-being and dignity of humans is that
every user of this platform need to keep in mind the word ‘self-discipline’
 and innate ‘responsibility’ since our own management dictates how we
become and not entirely by external factors.

C. What responsibilities do the “right-holders”, in this case Google users, carry in

ensuring a human rights-based approach to the use of the internet?
 A focus on rights and obligations helps to identify who is entitled to make
claims and who has a duty to take action, empowering those who have
legitimate claims to rights. This regulates the exercise of power and ensures
that those who wield power are answerable to those who do not. In this
regard, accountability, the essential principle of human rights, has the
potential to empower people living in poverty and facilitate their visibility,
ensuring that they are at the centre of public policies on poverty eradication
not as passive beneficiaries, but as rights holders that can exercise their
entitlements by holding responsible those behind such policies. As a result,
the human rights approach has the potential to improve the effectiveness of
poverty reduction efforts, and to ensure that progress is equitable and
sustainable.