Responsibility in Nanotechnology Development

This book disentangles the complex meanings of responsibility in nanotechnology development by focusing on its theoretical and empirical dimensions. The notion of responsibility is extremely diversified in the public discourse of nanoscale technologies. Addressed are major disciplinary perspectives working on nanotechnology, e.g. philosophy, sociology, and political science, as well as the major multidisciplinary areas relevant to the innovation process, e.g. technology assessment and ethics. Furthermore, the interplay between such expertises, disciplines, and research programmes in providing a multidisciplinary understanding of responsibility is emphasized.

Introduction. Nanotechnologies and the quest for responsibility; Simone Arnaldi, Arianna Ferrari, Paolo Magaudda, Francesca Marin.- Part 1 Scrutinizing responsibility. Theoretical explorations into an entangled concept.- Responsibility and visions in the new and emerging technologies; Arianna Ferrari, Francesca Marin.- Features of intergenerational moral responsibility in the age of the emerging technologies; Silvia Zullo.- The Role of responsible stewardship in nanotechnology and synthetic biology; Ilaria Anna Colussi.- Part 2 Technology assessment and public engagement.- Technology assessment beyond toxicology – the case of nanomaterials; Torsten Fleischer, Jutta Jahnel, Stefanie B. Seitz.- Ethics Research Committees in reviewing nanotechnology clinical trials protocol; Viviana Daloiso, Antonio G. Spagnolo.-Governance of Nanotechnology: engagement and public participation; Giuseppe Pellegrini.- Part 3 Representations and arrangements of responsibility.- Value chain responsibility in emerging technologies; Colette Bos, Harro van Lente.- On being responsible: Multiplicity in responsible development; Sarah R. Davies, Cecilie Glerup, Maja Horst.- Nanotechnology and configurations of responsibilities in boundary organizations; Paolo Magaudda.- Who is responsible? Nanotechnology and responsibility in the Italian daily press; Simone Arnaldi.- Epilogue: Nanotechnology beyond nanotechnologies Responsible Research and Innovation: an emerging issue in research policy rooted in the debate on nanotechnology; Armin Grunwald.- Index.