Ethics of nanotechnology is the study of the

ethical issues Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied ethics ...

emerging from advances in

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

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 Environment The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment ( or simply RIVM) is a Dutch research institute that is an independent agency of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. RIVM performs tasks to promote public health and a safe li ...

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 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 Lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) are a type of military drone or military robot which are autonomous in that they can independently search for and engage targets based on programmed constraints and descriptions. However as of 2025 most military d ...

, 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 (and perhaps also everything else) on Earth while buildi ...

scenario, first imagined by

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

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

bioaccumulative Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance faster than it can be lost or eliminated by catabolism and excretion. ...

; 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 area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

were caused by the inhalation of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

dust. See

nanotoxicology Nanotoxicology is the study of the toxicity of nanomaterials. Because of quantum size effects and large surface area to volume ratio, nanomaterials have unique properties compared with their larger counterparts that affect their toxicity. Of ...

. Nanotechnology belongs to the class of

emerging technology Emerging technologies are technologies whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealized. These technologies are generally new but also include old technologies finding new applications. Emerging technologies are o ...

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 that advocates the human enhancement, enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available new and future technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cogni ...

. The possible application of nanotechnology in human genome sequencing (e.g. Nanopores based sequencing) raises further ethical and societal concerns.

, 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 "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter a New Field of Physics" was a lecture given by physicist Richard Feynman at the annual American Physical Society meeting at Caltech on December 29, 1959. Feynman considered the possibi ...

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 an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

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 Ethics of science and technology

Guidelines

Concerns

Further reading

See also

References