---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The respect for human rights, essential…"
description: "\"The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On the contrary, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png"
---

#  The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use…

![“The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On the contrary, it is integral to science, as also to scholarship in general.” quote by John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png)

> “The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On the contrary, it is integral to science, as also to scholarship in general.”

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human rights are not an external add‑on to scientific practice; they are a core component that must guide the development and use of technology.

**In simple terms:** Human rights belong within science, not outside it.

Key Takeaway

Integrate ethics into research.

Themes

ethics technology human rights science responsibility policy

Mood

thoughtful cautious inspired

Type

statement philosophical call to action

When to use this quote

- research labs
- policy drafting
- technology deployment
- academic curricula
- public debates

Key Concepts

interdisciplinary integration moral framework social impact

Practical Applications

- ethical review processes
- rights‑centered innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions embed human rights into everyday research?
- What safeguards ensure rights‑based tech development?

A Different Perspective

Some argue that strict rights frameworks can hinder rapid scientific progress, but without them, technology may cause harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-human-393337/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights Essential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-essential-345948/) [Scholarship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholarship/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/)

## Related quotes

> [Instead, in the absence of respect for human rights, science and its offspring technology have been used in this century as brutal instruments for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/instead-in-the-absence-of-respect-for-human-rights-science-and-its/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [The basis of peace and stability, in any society, has to be the fullest respect for the human rights of all its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/the-basis-of-peace-and-stability-in-any-society-has-to-be-the-fullest/)

[John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/)

> [There can be no peace without justice and respect for human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-khan/there-can-be-no-peace-without-justice-and-respect-for-human-rights/)

[Irene Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-khan/)

> [Respect for human rights is not social work; it is not merely an act of compassion. It is the first obligation of government and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/respect-for-human-rights-is-not-social-work-it-is-not-merely-an-act/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-common-goal-of-22-million-afro-americans-is-respect-as-human/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [In civilized communities, property as well as personal rights is an essential object of the laws, which encourage industry by securing the enjoyment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-civilized-communities-property-as-well-as-personal-rights-is-an/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [In speaking of natural rights, therefore, it is essential to remember that these alleged rights have no political force whatsoever, unless recognized and enforced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-merriam/in-speaking-of-natural-rights-therefore-it-is-essential-to-remember/)

[Charles Edward Merriam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-merriam/)

> [Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness. We claim them from a higher source. from the King of kings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/kings-or-parliaments-could-not-give-the-rights-essential-to-happiness-2/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [Women's rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-s-rights-are-an-essential-part-of-the-overall-human-rights/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/kings-or-parliaments-could-not-give-the-rights-essential-to-happiness/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [Unalienable rights are essential limitations to all governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-hutcheson/unalienable-rights-are-essential-limitations-to-all-governments/)

[Francis Hutcheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-hutcheson/)

> [Mysticism has been in the past and probably ever will be one of the great powers of the world, and it is bad scholarship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/mysticism-has-been-in-the-past-and-probably-ever-will-be-one-of-the/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [For scholarship - if it is to be scholarship - requires, in addition to liberty, that the truth take precedence over all sectarian interests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/for-scholarship-if-it-is-to-be-scholarship-requires-in-addition-to/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [“When we hear people referred to as animals or aliens, we should immediately wonder, “Is this an attempt to reduce someone’s humanity so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/when-we-hear-people-referred-to-as-animals-or-aliens-we-should/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

## More by John Charles Polanyi

> [In the late 1950s a major topic under discussion was whether Canada should acquire nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/in-the-late-1950s-a-major-topic-under-discussion-was-whether-canada/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Though neglectful of their responsibility to protect science, scientists are increasingly aware of their responsibility to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/though-neglectful-of-their-responsibility-to-protect-science/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Some dreamers demand that scientists only discover things that can be used for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/some-dreamers-demand-that-scientists-only-discover-things-that-can-be/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [ \[Intellectual courage is\] the quality that allows one to believe in one's judgement in the face of disappointment and widespread skepticism. Intellectual courage is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/intellectual-courage-is-the-quality-that-allows-one-to-believe-in-one/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [It takes a trained and discerning researcher to keep the goal in sight, and to detect evidence of the creeping progress toward it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/it-takes-a-trained-and-discerning-researcher-to-keep-the-goal-in/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Individual scientists like myself - and many more conspicuous - pointed to the dangers of radioactive fallout over Canada if we were to launch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/individual-scientists-like-myself-and-many-more-conspicuous-pointed/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [At the heart of science lies discovery which involves a change in worldview. Discovery in science is possible only in societies which accord their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/at-the-heart-of-science-lies-discovery-which-involves-a-change-in/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Science exists, moreover, only as a journey toward troth. Stifle dissent and you end that journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/science-exists-moreover-only-as-a-journey-toward-troth-stifle-dissent/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Science never gives up searching for truth, since it never claims to have achieved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/science-never-gives-up-searching-for-truth-since-it-never-claims-to/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [The applause is a celebration not only of the actors but also of the audience. It constitutes a shared moment of delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-applause-is-a-celebration-not-only-of-the-actors-but-also-of-the/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Nothing is more irredeemably irrelevant than bad science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/nothing-is-more-irredeemably-irrelevant-than-bad-science/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [If we treasure our own experience and regard it as real, we must also treasure other people's experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/if-we-treasure-our-own-experience-and-regard-it-as-real-we-must-also/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [What makes the Universal Declaration an epochal document is first of all its global impetus and secondly the breadth of its claims, a commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/what-makes-the-universal-declaration-an-epochal-document-is-first-of/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Instead, in the absence of respect for human rights, science and its offspring technology have been used in this century as brutal instruments for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/instead-in-the-absence-of-respect-for-human-rights-science-and-its/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [Though we explore in a culturally-conditioned way, the reality we sketch is universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/though-we-explore-in-a-culturally-conditioned-way-the-reality-we/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

[Explore all 46 John Charles Polanyi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

## More Aliens quotes

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/)

[Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/)

> [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/)

[Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/)

> [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/)

[Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/)

> [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [I read a lot of ghost stories because I was writing a ghost story. I didn't think at all I was writing a horror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/i-read-a-lot-of-ghost-stories-because-i-was-writing-a-ghost-story-i/)

[Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/)

[Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On the contrary, it is integral to science, as also to scholarship in general.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Charles Polanyi"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aliens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/john-charles-polanyi-14475_aliens_the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-i_19742.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must…” — John Charles Polanyi",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Charles Polanyi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The respect for human rights, essential...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
