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Nanotechnology, the Body and the Mind

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Emerging Conceptual, Ethical and Policy Issues in Bionanotechnology

Part of the book series: Philosophy and Medicine ((PHME,volume 101))

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Nanotechnology promises to deliver the next wave of transformative inventions and devices with the p?tential to affect quality of life, longevity, the body, the brain, and the mind itself. However, there is not an arena for the sharing of knowledge across disciplinary realms to enable a deeper consideration of, and appreciation for, the p?tential and real impact that these technological advances will likely have on individuals, Relationships, behavior, and culture. Knowledge of psychological science of human mind and behavior should be interwoven with the discovery and invention process if biomedicine and nanotechnology are to bring forward an improved quality of life. Human behavior tendencies surely will influence the way these technologies are used. We need to resist our very human tendency to think that anything new is an improvement, or that so called enhancements are some how better, and take lessons from our experiences with other advances that have demonstrated that there consequences, both intended and unintended, as well as error with new ventures. Above all, we need to develop structures and mechanisms to assure that interdisciplinary discourse can occur to maximize the probability that these advances are consistent with human flourishing.

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Authors
  1. M. Ellen Mitchell
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas, Dallas, TX, USA

    Fabrice Jotterand

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Mitchell, M.E. (2008). Nanotechnology, the Body and the Mind. In: Jotterand, F. (eds) Emerging Conceptual, Ethical and Policy Issues in Bionanotechnology. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 101. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8649-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8649-6_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8648-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8649-6

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