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Rights based approach and human enhancement

Monday, July 2, 2007

Most NGO and human rights activists are familiar with rights-based approach:

In a human rights-based approach, human rights determine the relationship between individuals and groups with valid claims (rights-holders) and State and non-state actors with correlative obligations (duty-bearers). It identifies rights-holders and their entitlements and corresponding duty-bearers and their obligations, and works towards strengthening the capacities of rights-holders to make their claims, and of duty-bearers to meet their obligations
If you have no water the state shall provide, if you have no electricity the state shall provide (if you are poor, you shall be subsidized). Supposed that 60 percent of the world's citizen has internet connection, and those who are not is left out, should the state provide broadband to the other 40 percent?

Now, with regards to human enhancement. Supposed that IQ can be enhanced and that the minimum average IQ for working is 124, should the state also provide funds for the enhancement? I would answer in positive. There seems to be no end to rights based approach. Because, at the same time, there would be no end to inequality, no end to what is regarded as a "basic need".