Nanotechnology, Society, and Environment

Abstract

SynopsisNanotechnology talk is moving out of its comfort zone of scientific discourse. As new products go to market and national and international organizations roll out public engagement programs on nanotechnology to discuss environmental and health issues, various sectors of the public are beginning to discuss what all the fuss is about. NonGovernmental Organizations have long since reacted; however, now the social sciences have begun to study the cultural phenomenon of nanotechnology, thus extending discourses and opening out nanotechnology to whole new social dimensions. We report here on these social dimensions and their new constructed imaginings, each of which is evident in the ways in which discourses around nanotechnology intersects with the economy, ecology, health, governance, and imagined futures. We conclude that there needs to be more than just an 'environmental, legal and social implications', or 'ELSI', sideshow within nanotechnology. The collective public imaginings of nanotechnology include tangles of science and science fiction, local enterprise and global transformation, all looking forward towards a sustainable future, while looking back on past debates about science and nature. Nanotechnology is already very much embedded in the social fabric of our life and times. IntroductionThe six volumes in this series have described powerful opportunities that nanotechnology presents for society, as represented by those of us who work within and around the physical sciences. But how is nanotechnology represented to and understood by the rest of society? What are the risks, benefits and other perspectives of nanotechnology that can be said to be shared knowledge among and between nano-specialists and non-specialists?Much of the discussion on nanotechnology covered in this chapter is often placed under the banner of environmental health and safety (EHS) issues or environmental, legal and social implications (ELSI), separating them from the science of nanomaterials. We prefer, however, to fix our gaze on the shared visions of technological specialists and nonspecialists alike when imagining a world with nanotechnology. As nanotechnology is seen as an important future development, scientific, technological, health and environmental issues associated with its application are expected to be closely linked to wider social, ethical and cultural concerns.This chapter focuses then on what can broadly be called the 'public imaginary' of nanotechnology. In this context, the term 'public' needs to be defined better. We refer 3 here to 'publics' rather than a singular public, reflecting the contemporary sociological view that science and technology is understood and used by various different public contexts, and that scientists of different hues are also part of these publics. We do not have the space here to present a detailed case about why understanding public perspectives on science is important. But the various perspectives of nanotechnology here will present enough evidence about the complexities of nanotechn...

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