[Note: Extraordinarily welcome final DECLARATION from the Madrid congress examining and evaluating the global abuse of science and technology in efforts by some to promote transhumanism, posthumanism, futurism, etc., and the unprecedented destructive effects of these perverse forces on all of human life. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! — DNI]

MADRID DECLARATION

Meeting in the city of Madrid in the XVIII International Science and Life Congress in order to reflect on “Science, humanism and post-humanism” and joining in the spirit of the declarations of Bogota, Asuncion, Caracas, Guatemala, Valencia, Cancun, Montevideo, Queretaro, Buenos Aires, San Jose, Mexico, Cartagena and Guadalajara, with a view to contributing to the scientific understanding of human beings and their context and concerned about the rising power that technological development grants to individuals and institutions that without respect for human life intend to determine our future and design new realities for their personal will and interests,

WE PROCLAIM:

1. – The urgency to protect science from the aspiration of power seeking to control, if not design, the lives of others. Unconditional respect for each human life, regardless of their status and stage of development is the basic premise of all progress. In science, as in politics or the exercise of any profession, must be provided the assurance and protection necessary so that their function is not usurped by economic interests or manipulative designs that often have as a hallmark disregard for defenseless, not autonomous or unplanned life.2. – The need to change the way we perceive progress and human development. The inclusion of the deprivation approach must be one of the basic points in the comparative measurement of achievements and shortcomings. In this sense we advocate to focus on the most disadvantaged with the maximum inclusion criteria possible, going away from valuations based on wealth to measure quality of life, excellence, or the development of human communities.3. – The relevance to alert about the real possibilities of dehumanization that threaten certain fashions and scientific fictions. We can not ignore that behind the apparent kindness that give rights to animals (natural or artificial), robots, or new human species artificially manipulated, lies a real danger to human life as we know it with their freedom and way of being.4 – The desirability of establishing an international criminal court before which those experimenting with human life, understanding it as a mean of production, or simply destroying it in the early stages of its development, be accountable. It is necessary to end the impunity with which certain scientific, medical and health personnel, operates destroying and manipulating human beings under permissive laws or legal loopholes. Before this any country who defends human life should react. Just as certain dictators take care not to travel to some places for fear of arrest, those attempting against human beings, regardless if their activity is permitted in their country of origin, should know that they are not exempt from been brought to trial before an international court.5. – The defense of rules ensuring transparency in research and educational pluralism. Many actions that threaten the existence and survival of the human subject are scientific monopolies aspiring to create uniformity with the hidden agenda to master life. Given this, the school system should be diversified an the laboratory made transparent and accountable in order to educate to maximize freedom and to investigate maximizing responsibility. To that effect will also be necessary to devise appropriate solutions to deal with the abuses so far committed with human in vitro manipulation in order to care for and ensure their victims.6. – Finally, we advocate, to give public relevance, to social and political humanism. We seem to have forgotten that we are much more than a set of genetic determinations. It seems that our science lacks soul. In this sense it will be desirable to encourage reflection and to foster dialogue within the academy to promote selfless love for ​​knowledge and wisdom, which is ultimately love to human beings.

In Madrid on July 25, 2013.

Adjuntamos la Declaración de Madrid aprobada tras la celebración del XVIII Congreso Ciencia y Vida celebrado en la Universidad San Pablo CEU de la capital de España. En este enlace pueden encontrar también las primeras fotos que hemos puesto en el álbum del evento donde se incluyen las de la ceremonia de graduación http://www.ulia.org/ficv/madrid2013.htm. Esperamos puedan contribuir a divulgarla. Muchas gracias For more information, please contact: Prof. Dr. Jose Perez Adan Jose.Perez@uv.es