Ethics of nanotechnology is the study of the

ethical issues Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

emerging from advances in

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...

and its impacts. According to Andrew Chen, ethical concerns about nanotechnologies should include the possibility of their military applications, the dangers posed by self-replicant nanomachines, and their use for surveillance monitoring and tracking. Risks to environment to public health are treated in a report from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the EnvironmentE.A.J. Bleeker, S. Evertz, R.E. Geertsma, W.J.G.M. Peijnenburg, J. Westra, S.W.P. Wijnhoven, Assessing health & environmental risks of nanoparticles. Current state of affairs in policy, science and areas of application, RIVM Report 2014-0157.
/ref> as well as is a report of the

European Environment Agency The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment. Definition The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides ...

.Chapter 22, Nanotechnology: early lessons from early warnings, in Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation, EEA report 1, 2013.
/ref> Academic works on ethics of nanotechnology can be found in the journal Nanoethics.

Guidelines

According to the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics possible guidelines for an Ethics of nanotechnology could include: *Nanomachines should only be specialized, not for general purpose *Nanomachines should not be self replicating *Nanomachines should not be made to use an abundant natural compound as fuel *Nanomachines should be tagged so that they can be tracked

Concerns

Ethical concern about nanotechnology include the opposition to their use to fabricate Lethal autonomous weapon, and the fear that they may self replicate ad infinitum in a so-called

gray goo Gray goo (also spelled as grey goo) is a hypothetical global catastrophic scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating machines consume all biomass on Earth while building many more of themselves, a sce ...

scenario, first imagined by

K. Eric Drexler Kim Eric Drexler (born April 25, 1955) is an American engineer best known for studies of the potential of molecular nanotechnology (MNT), from the 1970s and 1980s. His 1991 doctoral thesis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology was revised and ...

. For the EEA the challenge posed by nano-materials are due to their properties of being novel, biopersistent, readily dispersed, and bioaccumulative; by analogy, thousands cases of

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

were caused by the inhalation of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

dust. See nanotoxicology. Nanotechnology belongs to the class of emerging technology known as GRIN: geno-, robo-, info- nano-technologies. Another common acronym is NBIC (Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and Cognitive Science). These technologies are hopedRoco, M.C., and Bainbridge, W.S. (eds) (2002) Converging technologies for improving human performance, NSF-DOC Report, Kluwer, 2003. - or feared,G. Tintino, "From Darwinian to technological evolution: Forgetting the human lottery", Cuad. Bioética, vol. XXV, no. 387–395, 2014. depending on the viewpoint, to be leading to improving human bodies and functionalities, see

transhumanism Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition. Transhuma ...

, 2013, Late lessons from early warning II Chapter 22 - Nanotechnology - early lessons from early warnings. See also Steffen et al., 2008. * Jaco Westra (editor), 2014, Assessing health and environmental risks of nanoparticles. An overview, RIVM Rapport. * Rene von Schomberg (2011), Introduction: Towards Responsible Research and Innovation in the Information and Communication Technologies and Security Technologies Fields. * R. Feynman, Cargo Cult Science, Commencement Speech at Caltech 1974. (also available in the book: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!). * European Commission, 2009, Commission recommendation on A code of conduct for responsible nanosciences and nanotechnologies research & Council conclusions on Responsible nanosciences and nanotechnologies research. * C. Marris, Final Report of the PABE research project, 2001. * E.A.J. Bleeker, S. Evertz, R.E. Geertsma, W.J.G.M. Peijnenburg, J. Westra, S.W.P. Wijnhoven, Assessing health & environmental risks of nanoparticles Current state of affairs in policy, science and areas of application, RIVM Report. * Roger Strand, 2011, Nano Ethics, In: Nanotechnology in the Agri‐Food Sector: Implications for the Future. * R. Feynman, There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom lecture given at the annual American Physical Society meeting at Caltech on December 29, 1959. * Job Timmermans; Zhao Yinghuan; and

Jeroen van den Hoven Jeroen van den Hoven (born 1957 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch ethicist and a philosophy professor at Delft University of Technology. He specializes in ethics of information technology. Work Van den Hoven has written and worked with a range of schola ...

, 2011. Ethics and nanopharmacy: Value sensitive design of new drugs. ''Nanoethics'' 5(3): 269-283. *

Steven Umbrello Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

and Seth D. Baum, 2018. Evaluating future nanotechnology: The net societal impacts of atomically precise manufacturing. Futures 100(June): 63-73. *

, 2013. Radical abundance: How a revolution in nanotechnology will change civilization. Public Affairs: New York.

References

{{reflist, 32em Emerging technologies

Guidelines

Concerns

Further reading

See also

References