How Should We Do Nanoethics? A Network Approach for Discerning Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology

The ethical issues raised by nanotechnology research and development has received quite a bit of attention, but few individuals have looked at the approaches for discerning ethical issues in nanotechnology. The author first discusses and critiques two existing approaches for looking at the ethical issues raised by this new technology, first, by looking at the desirable role of ethics in nanotechnology development, and secondly, looking at the newness of ethical issues in nanotechnology. Finally, he presents what he calls the network approach, which attempts to discern ethical ethics in nanotechnology as they emerge, makes it possible to use ethical insights to inform and steer nanotech research and development, and deal with ethical issues in their real-world context rather then taking them as abstract ethical issues. This approach uses interviews and brain-storming sessions with nanotech actors and stakeholders to discern ethical issues inherent in nanotechnology research and development. The author discusses some aspects of this approach, and then looks at its applicability to nanotechnology.