Integrating and Enacting ‘Social and Ethical Issues’ in Nanotechnology Practices

Viseu, Ana; Maguire, Heather

doi:10.1007/s11569-012-0162-2

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Additionally, in the US integration has been predominantly associated with nanotechnology, both at strategic and at project levels (e.g., Barben et al, 2008;Gorman et al, 2009;Patra, 2011;Viseu and Maguire, 2012;Roco et al, 2011;NSTC, 2011), with emphasis also visible in the case of synthetic biology (Rabinow and Bennett, 2012).…”

Section: Integrated Research In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating science and society in European Framework Programmes: Trends in project-level solicitations

Rodríguez

Fisher

Schuurbiers³

2013

Research Policy

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As part of a larger trend across industrialized nations, European research policy discourse has placed increasing emphasis on socio-technical integration: the explicit incorporation of activities devoted to broader social aspects into scientific activities. In order to compare these high-level integration discourses against patterns at the level of resource allocation, we analyze nearly 2,500 research solicitations from the three European Framework Programmes for R&D during the period 1998-2010. We identify four distinct types of integration (socioethical, stakeholder, socio-economic and industrial) that occur either as core or parallel components of R&D solicitations. Quantitative analysis reveals an overall trend towards increasing integration, with requests integrating industrial and socio-economic aspects substantially outnumbering those integrating socio-ethical and stakeholder aspects-by a 2 to 1 margin. Meanwhile, calls for socio-technical integration have become slightly more extensive (ranging across a broader range of research areas addressed), significantly more pervasive (shifting from the periphery to the core of R&D practices), and arguably less diverse (involving a wider variety of integration types) over time. The relative lack of attention to socio-ethical aspects and stakeholder participation in European research is particularly notable given that we focus on potentially controversial areas (life sciences, energy, and nanotechnology), which likely overemphasizes the prevalence of integration throughout the Framework Programmes.

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Section: Integrated Research In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating science and society in European Framework Programmes: Trends in project-level solicitations

Rodríguez

Fisher

Schuurbiers³

2013

Research Policy

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“…However, even with increased attention several barriers persist relative to how the topic of nanoethics is communicated with nano-scientists and whether recommendations from nanoethics scholarship are being implemented (Rasmussen et al, 2012;Viseu & Maguire, 2012). Nano-scientists' alleged lack of engagement in ethics discussions suggests a communication gap.…”

Section: Ethical Practices and (Dis)connectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beginning in 2003, the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act mandated that researchers and industrial producers take into consideration ethical, legal, environmental, and societal implications of nanotechnology (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2003). However, after interviews with scientists, engineers, and policymakers, Viseu and Maguire (2012) concluded that some researchers view nanoethics as superfluous to their daily work and thus did not integrate ESLIs in their scientific practices.…”

Section: Ethical Practices and (Dis)connectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Rasmussen, Ebbesen, and Andersen (2012) observed that even though attention to social, ethical, and legal aspects of nanoscience may enhance the development of a responsible discipline, few nano-scientists have participated in discussions about these topics. In addition to the lack of participation, perceived irrelevance has broadened the gap between scientists and ethicists (Viseu & Maguire, 2012). For example, a recent study indicates that for some scientists, ethics is regarded as an "extra-curricular" scientific activity, existing apart from their daily laboratory work (Viseu & Maguire, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the lack of participation, perceived irrelevance has broadened the gap between scientists and ethicists (Viseu & Maguire, 2012). For example, a recent study indicates that for some scientists, ethics is regarded as an "extra-curricular" scientific activity, existing apart from their daily laboratory work (Viseu & Maguire, 2012). As a result, efforts that problematize nanoethics may exert little influence on the work being done by nano-scientists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Nano-scientists as Consumers and Sources of Information about Nanoethics

Liang

Dudo

Kahlor

et al. 2013

Iowa State University Summer Symposium on Science Communication

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Integrating is Caring? Or, Caring for Nanotechnology? Being an Integrated Social Scientist

Viseu

2018

Engineering a Better Future

Self Cite

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This chapter is a re-reprint of an article published in 2015 (Viseu, 2015a). In preparation for this new publication, I made some minor changes and updated the literature and bibliographic sources. At the end of the chapter, I also include a new section that reflects on the three years that have gone by since the printing of the original article. 2 In many ways, the term 'nanotechnology' is equally vague and different actors enact it differently. The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) describes it as "science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1-100 nm" (NNI, n.d). In other words, nanotechnology is encompassing referring to the study, experimentation, tools, and knowledge of matter at the nanoscale.

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Integrating and Enacting ‘Social and Ethical Issues’ in Nanotechnology Practices

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Integrating science and society in European Framework Programmes: Trends in project-level solicitations

Integrating science and society in European Framework Programmes: Trends in project-level solicitations

Nano-scientists as Consumers and Sources of Information about Nanoethics

Integrating is Caring? Or, Caring for Nanotechnology? Being an Integrated Social Scientist

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