Nanoscience and nanotechnology are among today's most promising fields of research. If their full potential is to be realized, we need to attend along the way to key ethical issues. But ethics should not be grounded in exaggerations, either positive or negative; hype just obscures important issues.
One type of hype comes from enthusiasts who argue that nanotech is a wonderful thing. One day, they aver, "nanoassemblers" will convert coal into diamonds, turn grass clippings into beef, and restore the world's ecology. Poverty, illness, even mortality itself, will be mere memories. This utopian vision, they say, is a powerful argument in favor of zealously developing these technologies.
At the opposite, apocalyptic extreme are those who argue that if we're not careful, nanotech could run amok, as self-replicating nanoassemblers turn from their assigned tasks and begin feeding on ... well, everything. This risk, they say, constitutes a powerful argument in favor ...
