Nanotechnology and the Extension and Transformation of Inequity

TEXTO COMPLETO PODE SER OBTIDO NESTE LINK   http://nano.foe.org.au/nanotechnology-and-inequity-help-or-hindrance

While the authors that have contributed to this book believe that furthering the
cause of equity is a laudable goal, there are many people who benefit from existing
unequal political arrangements. In this chapter, Georgia Miller and Gyorgy Scrinis
argue that many of those currently directing the future of nanotechnology have a
strong incentive to maintain these patterns of unequal distribution. They note that
nanotechnology is arising from actions that align it with powerful economic and
political interests in the Global North. Despite paying lip service to studying the
“ethical, legal, and social implications” of nanotechnology, those who are driving
the rapid expansion of nanotechnology have not shown any genuine commitment to
reorienting the enterprise to human needs or a more equal society. Given the power
disparities between nano advocates and critics, Miller and Scrinis find it improbable
that there will be any fundamental realignment. In a sense Miller and Scrinis
offer a challenge to all the authors in the volume to find ways to break through the
barriers to equity.—eds.