The Invited Speakers and their Contributions

at 'Knowledge - Common Heritage, Not Private Property'

14.00 - 17.15 Sunday 10 November 2002

University of London Union, Malet St, London WC1

A discussion meeting organised by Scientists for Global Responsibility
and supported by the UK National Commission for UNESCO.

Dr Nicholas Maxwell is a philosopher at University College, London. He is author of the book 'From Knowledge to Wisdom' and of numerous articles relating to knowledge, wisdom, science and the public good, including 'What Kind of Inquiry Can Best Help Us Create a Good World?' He will speak on
Science, Knowledge and the Public Good
Nicholas Maxwell argues that the orthodox view of the basic aims of science is untenable. First, there are metaphysical presuppositions implicit in the aims of science: science cannot proceed without making some kind of assumption concerning the comprehensibility of the universe. Second, values (of one kind or another) are inevitably built into the aims of science: science does not just seek truth as such - it seeks truth that is important, of value. Thirdly, granted that science seeks to improve knowledge, there are important questions about WHOSE knowledge and understanding science ought ultimately be concerned to improve.

Dr Mae Wan Ho is Director of the Institute of Science in Society, and initiator of the draft convention. She writes, broadcasts and addresses meetings frequently on the social aspects of genetic engineering. She will speak on
An Introduction to the Convention on Knowledge
The new trade-related intellectual property regime in industrialised nations is an unprecedented privatisation of knowledge, which has encouraged the biopiracy of indigenous knowledge and resources on a global scale. This regime is being imposed on the rest of the world through the World Trade Organisation. This drive towards economic globalisation is widely acknowledged to be the major cause of poverty, social disintegration and environmental degradation over the past decades. It is obstructing attempts to implement a global agenda for sustainability. We need a collective vision that could underpin a new model of world governance and finance. To that end, Mae Wan Ho has initiated, and INES, ISIS, SGR, Tebtebba and TWN have refined and supported, some elements of a 'convention on knowledge' that could serve as the focus of a concerted campaign to reclaim all knowledge systems to the service of the public good.

Dr Philip Webber is Vice-chair of SGR, Chair of the Martin Ryle Trust and Head of the Kirklees Environment Unit, West Yorkshire, a leading UK environment policy and projects unit. He has co-authored numerous books and articles on defence and environmental policy and has recently participated as SGR spokesperson in Radio 4's "You and Your's" debate on key issues in science. He will present
A Report on the Feedback that SGR has Received to Date on the Draft Convention
SGR and its partner organisations started to publicise the draft Convention on Knowledge earlier this year, and invited comments. Philip Webber will present, for SGR, a summary of the comments that have been received, which include a detailed commentary from Prof Noam Chomsky.

Dr Jon Goulding is a molecular biologist at Imperial College, London. He is part of the team setting up the SGR website on vested interests in science. He will speak on
Science and vested interests
Vested interests wield considerable influence in science. Whilst in some cases such influences are obvious, in many more they are less so. SGR has recently started putting together a website detailing examples of vested interests in science. The talk will cover aspects of this, with an emphasis on the patenting of genes and sequence fragments, and also the field of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).