Ethical considerations on nanotechnology

Abstract

Since a significant time ago, although time runs very fast, nanotechnology transformed from one of the most promising scientific hopes in uncountable human domains into a marvelous certainty. Innumerable scientific studies in several areas of knowledge were made since nanoscale emergence, carrying their contribution to the nanoscience development, leading to a great development of technical and scientific knowledge but also raising numerous problems in the ethical field. In this chapter, nanotechnology is discussed both in terms of ethics and in terms of borders that nanotechnology applications must satisfy and concluding notes are presented, highlighting the results of the analysis. Significant considerations are made on the close connection between ethics and the nanotechnology and the effects over the society and values.