A few days ago I had the opportunity to attend a talk on human rights given by Dr. Solomon Benatar. His lecture focused on the legacy of the 20th century and its impact on the current state of human rights across the globe. What follows is a quick summary of some of the key points for those who didn’t have the opportunity to attend the lecture.
1. The pursuit of knowledge needs to give way to the use of knowledge wisely.
The pursuit of knowledge should never be cast aside, but there needs to be research into how we can wisely apply the information we already have. Many of the technical / medical innovations over the past century have done little to improve the lives of people living in third world countries due to number of reasons, but inadequate research into application is one of them.
2. A shift from massive, blanket programs to focused, small-scale projects.
With the proper funding a well-guided program is the most effective way to improve the health of the third world. Blanket strategies need to give way to malleable tactics that can adapt to the specific challenges that each environment poses.
3. Re-envisioning of health as a not simply biological, but also social and political.
Our idea of health needs to be extended beyond traditional biological notions. Medicine is great at treating individuals but not populations. In order to help populations we need to extend our ideas about health to include the political, social, and technological aspects.
During the question period Dr. Benatar was asked where he places his hope. He replied by saying that he placed no hope in governments or corporations, only for ordinary people, “the people in the streets.” He called for an extension of the civic community that would put globalization to a positive use. In closing, he stresses that any treatment, just as in medicine, can be painful, slow, and sometimes it’s not successful; it’s an ongoing process that needs not only the correct diagnosis and prognosis, but also time and patience.
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