Advances in nanotechnology are transforming the ways of creating materials and products, leading society to the threshold of a second industrial revolution. However, future opportunities will depend significantly on how nanotechnology stakeholders deal with the short-term and long-term benefits, limitations, uncertainties and risks of nanotechnology. They will be tasked with navigating a variety of new social and ethical challenges associated with areas such as privacy, the environment, energy, population, genetics, agriculture, food, and security.
Unique in its depth, breadth, and variety of viewpoints, Nanotechnology: Ethical and Social Issuesstimulates, inspires, and builds awareness of nanotechnology’s impact on society. Spanning the immense range of disciplines at work in nanotechnology, the book’s selection of chapters focuses on how advances in science, and the convergence of multiple technologies, will impact society at individual, community, national, and international levels.
The book focuses on raising the awareness of nanotechnology stakeholders, which includes undergraduate and graduate students; educators in sciences, engineering, business, and public policy; engineers; business and finance professionals; and policymakers. It also addresses the demands on the future workforce to learn new skill sets.
The book uses an interactive format - which includes case studies, scenarios, and Web exercises - to promote critical thinking and problem solving skills. Content includes numerous tables, statistics, and figures to supplement and enhance the topics covered in each chapter. The result is a must-read for anyone seeking either a technical or nontechnical understanding of the societal impact of nanotechnology.
Preface
Chapter 1 : Nanotechnology : An Introduction to Applications and Ethical and Social Issues
Chapter 2 : What’s Different, Ethically, About Nanotechnology? Foundational Questions and Answers
Chapter 3 : The Beginning of Ethics : Confucius and Socrates
Chapter 4 : Ethics : A Conservative Christian Perspective
Chapter 5 : Nanotechnology : Ethical and Social Issues
Chapter 6 : The Unanticipated Consequences of Technology
Chapter 7 : Portraits in Carbon
Chapter 8 : Nanotechnology : Environment and Ecology
Chapter 9 : Our Biopolitical Future : Four Scenarios
Chapter 10 : Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture
Chapter 11 : The Future of Food : An Introduction to the Ethical Issues in Genetically Modified Foods
Chapter 12 : Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) : A Versatile Semiconducting Material for Environmental and Antibacterial Applications
Chapter 13 : What Are the Social Implications of Our Delay in Teaching Nanoscience Education to K–12 Students in the United States?
Chapter 14 : Nanotechnology Research and Science, Technology, and Society Education at Bilkent University
Chapter 15 : Application of Simulation for Emulating Nanotechnology and Emerging Technologies in Education
Chapter 16 : Predicting the Future : Review of Public-Perception Studies of Nanotechnology
Chapter 17 : Nanotechnology : The Size of the Cosmos Versus the Size of Human Knowledge
Index
