Nanoethics: Big Ethical Issues with Small Technology / Edition 1

by Donal P. O'Mathuna, James Garvey, Jeremy Stangroom

Overview

Nanotechnology manipulates matter at the atomic level. It leads to innovative processes and products that are revolutionizing many areas of modern life. Huge amounts of public funds are being invested in the science, yet the public has little understanding of the technology or its ethical implications. Indeed, the ethical, social, and political dimensions of nanotechnology are only beginning to receive the attention they require - outside of science fiction contexts. Surveillance devices may become so small that they are practically invisible to the naked eye, raising concerns about privacy. Nanomedicine may lead to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic devices, yet anxieties have been raised about the impact of "nanobots" circulating in our bodies. Military applications, or misuses, of nanotechnology raise other concerns. This book explores in an accessible and informative way how nanotechnology is likely to impact the lives of ordinary people in the coming years and why ethical reflection on nanotechnology is needed now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847063953
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/15/2009
Series:	Think Now
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

James Garvey is Secretary of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, UK. He is the author of The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books and The Ethics of Climate Change, also published by Continuum.

Jeremy Stangroom is co-editor, with Julian Baggini, of The Philosophers' Magazine and co-author of Do You Think What You Think You Think? (Granta, 2006), What Philosophers Think and Great Thinkers A-Z. He and Ophelia Benson are co-authors of Why Truth Matters and The Dictionary of Fashionable Nonsense (Souvenir, 2004).

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Nanotechnology: In Search of a Definition 2. Developing Nanotechnology: In the Beginning... 3. Ethics and Nanotechnology: What's the Story? 4. Dealing with Risk: Preying on Fear 5. Precaution: More Forwards Slowly 6. Global Nanotech: Turbaning the World Upside Down 7. Nanomedicine: Honey, I Shrunk the Doctor 8. Enhancement: Becoming Better than Healthy 9. The Posthuman Future: Making Room for Human Dignity 10. Technology and the Future: Revisiting Daedalus and Icarus Conclusion Bibliography Index