Comments on: Which ethics policy for nanotechnology? http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=3517 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:36:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Mike Treder http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=3517&cpage=1#comment-1314 Mike Treder Mon, 11 Jul 2005 17:54:18 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheusreborn/?p=3517#comment-1314 Part of the problem here is confusion between two types of nanotechnology: today's nanoscale technologies, which will bring incremental advances, and tomorrow's advanced nanotechnology (molecular manufacturing), which will bring revolutionary advances. The ethical challenges of the former are familiar; the challenges of the latter will be unprecedented in scope and concentration of impact. See http://crnano.org/whatis.htm Part of the problem here is confusion between two types of nanotechnology: today’s nanoscale technologies, which will bring incremental advances, and tomorrow’s advanced nanotechnology (molecular manufacturing), which will bring revolutionary advances. The ethical challenges of the former are familiar; the challenges of the latter will be unprecedented in scope and concentration of impact.

See http://crnano.org/whatis.htm

]]> By: Eli Rabett http://cstpr.colorado.edu/prometheus/?p=3517&cpage=1#comment-1313 Eli Rabett Sat, 09 Jul 2005 02:36:07 +0000 http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheusreborn/?p=3517#comment-1313 I'm not sure I see many ethical issues here. There are public health issues (potentially) and materials issues (decomposition, aging, etc), but I think putting all these things together under the tent of ethics is not only confusing but guaranteed to screw up any sensible discussion. Most of the materials and health issues are open, ie we really don't have a clue. Thus one comes to the only (perhaps) ethical issue, should one do R or R&D in an area where there may be negative/positive outcomes without having a firm idea that the balance is positive. This is certainly not unique to nanotechnology. Another one which is occasionally raised is should money be spent on x when people in y are starving? Again, not unique to nanotechnology. My take on nanotechnology is that first, it is too widely defined, encompassing everything with dimensions below 1000 nm. Thus the opportunity for cherry picking technologies and applications is endless. You can get any answer you want out of the fog. Second, at this point a lot of the technology is an answer looking for a question, with a lot of salesmanship thrown in. I've been here before. Like MEMS, lasers, etc., we will be in a lot better position to confront outcomes when the questions are better matched to the answers. Till then all of these discussions are marshmellow soft and I don't blame anyone for avoiding them. I'm actually a bit surprised at your position such as I can discern it. I’m not sure I see many ethical issues here. There are public health issues (potentially) and materials issues (decomposition, aging, etc), but I think putting all these things together under the tent of ethics is not only confusing but guaranteed to screw up any sensible discussion.

Most of the materials and health issues are open, ie we really don’t have a clue. Thus one comes to the only (perhaps) ethical issue, should one do R or R&D in an area where there may be negative/positive outcomes without having a firm idea that the balance is positive. This is certainly not unique to nanotechnology. Another one which is occasionally raised is should money be spent on x when people in y are starving? Again, not unique to nanotechnology.

My take on nanotechnology is that first, it is too widely defined, encompassing everything with dimensions below 1000 nm. Thus the opportunity for cherry picking technologies and applications is endless. You can get any answer you want out of the fog. Second, at this point a lot of the technology is an answer looking for a question, with a lot of salesmanship thrown in. I’ve been here before. Like MEMS, lasers, etc., we will be in a lot better position to confront outcomes when the questions are better matched to the answers.

Till then all of these discussions are marshmellow soft and I don’t blame anyone for avoiding them. I’m actually a bit surprised at your position such as I can discern it.

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