North and South: a reflection path along the thread of contributions

Résumé :

Pierre Lane gathered the various contributions of the debate around the following key themes:

- The urgency of the South’s needs: the Western-style debate about general issues turned out to be secondary from the point of view of some Third World representatives, who face the urgency of pressing day-to-day needs. The request for aid is presented first of all in terms of scientific and technological training, and of knowledge transfer, avoiding bureaucratic, corrupt and expensive ‘cooperation’.

- A paradox? In the South the focus is on knowledge rather than on technology

- Persistence of colonialism

- Scientific expertise and sustainable development: it is evident that, given the inequalities of the peoples worldwide, the restrictions to growth cannot be applied homogeneously to all; the fair principle that would enable some peoples to have at least the right to benefit from a higher economic growth than the environmental efficiency of technology remains to be defined. The question here is that of the role of Science.

- Economy: the monetary aspect, the micro-economy

- Environment and life quality

- Power concentration; competitiveness, success

- The values. Can the ethics of ancient societies be still valid? The deep change of values is not the result of an unavoidable collective evolution; it is the outcome of premeditated actions. It is about privatisation of life, the concepts of need, comfort and the consumerism.