Springer and The Nanoethics Group
have released a collection of important papers addressing a range of
near-term issues related to nanotechnology’s ethical and
social implications. The anthology “Nanotechnology and
Society: Current and Emerging Ethical Issues” tackles such
contentious issues as environmental impact, health dangers, medical
benefits, intellectual property, professional code of ethics, privacy,
international governance, and more.
The anthology features sixteen papers focused on the most
urgent issues arising from nanotechnology today and in the near future.
Written by leading researchers, policy experts, and nanoethics scholars
worldwide, the book is divided into five units: foundational issues;
risk and regulation; industry and policy; the human condition; and
selected global issues.
“While there are also more distant and speculative
issues in nanoethics—and we’ve touched upon some of
them in our previous work—it is important to also have a
single volume focused on the more immediate problems facing
nanotechnology, especially as policymakers and industry are interested
in these issues first and foremost,” said Patrick Lin, Ph.D.,
director for The Nanoethics Group.
The volume is co-edited by Fritz Allhoff (Western Michigan
Univ.) and Patrick Lin (Cal Poly, SLO; Dartmouth College) and presents
papers by notable names in nanotechnology and nanoethics, including (in
order of appearance): Jean-Pierre Dupuy (Stanford), Paul Thompson
(Michigan State Univ.), Arthur Zucker (Ohio Univ.), David Berube (North
Carolina State Univ.), Thomas Powers (Univ. of Delaware), Ashley Shew
(Virginia Tech), Jeroen van den Hoven (Delft Univ. of Tech.,
Netherlands), Drew Harris (Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody),
Raj Bawa (Bawa Biotechnology Consulting LLP), Summer Johnson (Albany
Medical College), Jason Robert (Arizona State Univ.), and Joachim
Schummer (Tech. Univ. of Darmstadt, Germany). Organizations such as
Canada’s Commission de l'Éthique de la Science et
de la Technologie, the European Group on Ethics in Science and New
Technologies, the Meridian Institute, and the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars also contributed papers.