Design for Values in Nanotechnology

Abstract

Applications of nanotechnology have the potential to raise fundamentally new ethical questions. Nanotechnology is an enabling technology and therefore a whole array of moral values is at stake. We investigate these values by differentiating with respect to specific applications. We will argue that in the short term, nanotechnology does not pose novel value-laden socio-technical issues, but has the potential to enhance or provide opportunities to address existing issues. We will describe three different attempts to provide a design for safety or sustainability approach, which are specific for nanotechnology. In the long term, nanotechnology does raise new ethical questions, especially with the blurring of category boundaries. Since the current debate on long-term developments is mainly technology assessment oriented in nature, we will suggest how these outcomes can be used for a more design-oriented approach.