A Basis for Action - Commission de l'Ã©thique de la science et de la ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Position Statement of the Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la technologie In its examination of the security uses of biometric data, 256 the Commission has addressed the issue of surveillance and raised questions about possible intrusion by the government and its agencies upon citizen and worker privacy. Various technologies can clearly be used for this purpose, but nanotechnology, and specifically nanoelectronics, increases and facilitates current capabilities in this regard and opens the door to the widespread collection and use of information on citizens and workers that goes well beyond current capabilities. The Commission is concerned that “in the name of security, it now can seem routine to lower standards with regard to the protection and confidentiality of personal information and the protection of privacy and civil liberties.” 257 This leads to question of whether it must truly be this way and whether a balance can be struck between security and individual and civil liberties. Ethical concerns in civil security matters, but also the new control and surveillance potential that nanotechnology holds out will be addressed more comprehensively in an upcoming position statement by the Commission. 258 The position statement will elaborate on the issues raised here and offer possible ways to protect citizens while respecting the fundamental values of a democratic and pluralistic society. The convergence of knowledge and technology Convergence is one of the topics that involves the greatest uncertainty because it raises questions about what could happen in the field of nanotechnology without people actually knowing what will happen. The Commission feels it is important to address the issue of convergence because it presents numerous ethical and social challenges, particularly where human identity and humankind’s relationship with nature is concerned. Many thinkers query the impact certain techniques and man-made technologies could have on ways of life and on what it means to be a human being, 259 and nanotechnology, being a product of convergence, will not be exempt from such questioning. 260 In its ethical exploration, the Commission specifically stresses the following values: dignity, personal integrity, responsibility, freedom, solidarity, quality of life, justice, and fairness. 256 COMMISSION DE L’ÉTHIQUE DE LA SCIENCE ET DE LA TECHNOLOGIE, L’utilisation des données biométriques à des fins de sécurité : questionnement sur les enjeux éthiques, study paper, Gouvernement du Québec, 2005, p. 31–34 [online] http://www.ethique.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ftp/Biometrie-reflexion.pdf. In French only. 257 Ibid., p. 34 [our translation]. 258 The Commission is currently working on a position statement on the ethical concerns raised by the use of biometric data in security, as well as the issues of videosurveillance and cybersurveillance (the position statement will be published in 2007). In the meantime, its study paper on the subject (in French only) is available for consultation, op. cit. 259 See the writings of Hannah Arendt, Francis Fukuyama, Dominique Lecourt, Jeremy Rifkin, and Mihail Roco on the topic. 260 In Québec, philosopher Jean-Pierre BÉLAND led a collective entituled L’Homme biotech : humain ou posthumain? published by Presses de l’Université Laval in 2006. Sociologist Céline Lafontaine is also directing a research program entitled “Les nanotechnologies : de l’imaginaire scientifique aux transformations culturelles” [online] http://www.socio.umontreal.ca/personnel/documents/projetcrsh.pdf. Other university research projects are expected in the coming months. 64 Ethics and Nanotechnology: A Basis for Action
Position Statement of the Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la technologie Human identity in a context of performance enhancement The literature consulted signals that nanotechnology could help optimize certain physiological characteristics of human beings. Potential developments are virtually limitless and can extend to cognitive capacities. 261 Even though the extreme visions of nanotechnology’s potential applications conveyed by such schools of thought as transhumanist philosophy—such as the possibility of considerably prolonging life or separating human consciousness from the body to place it in a computer—seem exaggerated in the eyes of a good number of scientists, these visions nonetheless provide a backdrop for discussions on the impact of nanotechnology for intellectuals examining these issues. 262 Certain developments—even if mostly involving physical interventions intended to offer therapeutic benefits—raise a number of fundamental questions with regard to the personal and social aspects of human identity: what we understand and consider to be human, what is deemed normal (or acceptable), and what is not. Furthermore, the boundary between therapy (healing, treating, restoring to normal) and the optimization of human performance (improving, boosting beyond the norm) can be tenuous and hard to define. What is the difference between an intervention meant to enhance performance and a therapeutic intervention designed to correct an acquired or innate disability? How is a disability defined? The Royal Society report notes that disability rights groups are against the kind of human optimization nanotechnology could one day permit. They feel that this could lead to a situation where those whose abilities are not improved would be stigmatized. 263 The Royal Society maintains that the real ethical issue for those with disabilities is resource allocation and access to technology. The groups consulted also stressed that persons with disabilities would rather resources be used to combat discrimination, for example, than to develop specific therapies. It was also noted that medical technology is pointless unless those in need of it have access to it or the means to take advantage of it. 264 The idea of improving physical or cognitive performance is a controversial one. Those consulted in the abovementioned British consultation asserted that any improvement to a person’s health using gene therapy was a form of eugenism; that genetic improvements to basic abilities, such as intelligence or height, could only be acceptable if administered fairly among the various segments of the population. However, others believe that if it is acceptable to increase individual abilities for education and physical training, other types of improvements, like cosmetic surgery or cognitive drugs, should also be acceptable. 265 Viewed from this perspective, this dilemma pits the self-determination of those who 261 Note that science did not wait for nanotechnology to develop before seeking to improve human physical or mental performance, as demonstrated by the substances used to improve strength and resistance in elite sports or concentration in intellectual work. 262 THE ROYAL SOCIETY & THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING (United Kindgom), op. cit., p. 55. 263 THE ROYAL SOCIETY & THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING (United Kingdom), op. cit., p. 54. 264 Ibid. 265 Ibid. A similar debate exists between those concerned about drug use by athletes (their arguments are usually based on the principle that it is an unfair practice or that it may be harmful to the athletes’ health) and those who think that if it is acceptable to improve one’s abilities through exercise, the same should go for medication. Chapter 3 – Nanotechnology: Ethical Concerns 65
Page 1:
COMMISSION DE L’ÉTHIQUE DE LA SC
Page 4 and 5:
Commission de l’éthique de la sc
Page 7 and 8:
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of acronyms.
Page 9:
Position Statement of the Commissio
Page 12 and 13:
Page 14 and 15:
Page 16 and 17:
Page 18 and 19:
Page 20 and 21:
Page 22 and 23:
Page 24 and 25:
Page 26 and 27:
Page 28 and 29:
Page 30 and 31:
Page 32 and 33:
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37:
Page 38 and 39:
Page 40 and 41: Position Statement of the Commissio
Page 111 and 112: CONCLUSION It is with great curiosi
Page 113 and 114: GLOSSARY ∗ Atomic force microscop
Page 121 and 122: BIBLIOGRAPHY ∗ Sources cited: ABE
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 151 and 152:
APPENDIX 2 Summary of applications
Page 153 and 154:
APPENDIX 3 Proposed taxonomy of the
Page 155 and 156:
The Consultation and Information Ac
Page 157 and 158:
MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION DE L’É
show all

A Basis for Action - Commission de l'Ã©thique de la science et de la ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?