Nanotechnology – Steps Towards Understanding Human Beings as Technology?

As the field of nanotechnology develops, especially in the areas of biotechnology, there seems to be an increasing trend of conceptualizing human beings as belonging to the realm of technology, or looking at humans as mechanical entities, and using “technical” language when discussing humans in relation to new advances in nanobiotechnology. This paper argues that the decision to adopt an increasingly technical understanding of human beings will not happen in the laboratory, but rather outside of it, in the manner in which concepts of humanity are associated with it, how we think and talk about ourselves, and what consequences we draw from it.