Development Ethical and Societal Issues Satyen Baindur PhD

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Stewardship in Nanotechnology Development: Ethical and Societal Issues SATYEN BAINDUR, PHD Ottawa Policy Research Associates, Inc. OPRA Report 2006-4-1 Issued April 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As a more complex, convergent process, at the socio-econo-bio-info-cogno-nano level, there is also the possibility that a fundamentally new life form could come into existence in the future. This could happen through an incremental enhancement of human capacities (for example, a progressive substitution of prostheses for diseased or incapacitated organs, or organ regeneration, or a networking of biological instrumentation with human organs, or an interfacing of human sensory organs with computers). Or it could happen through an unforeseeable combination of the bio and nano components spontaneously acquiring the attributes of locomotion, autonomy, adaptation, and autocatalyzed self-replication. A version of the latter possibility has been present ever since recombinant genetic technology came on the scene thirty years ago, but at least any new life forms were then expected to still be DNA-based. In the years since such concerns were first voiced, developments in the biotech field have included, among others: cloning, genetically modified organisms, transgenic organisms and even the possibility of chimeras, but of course, all of these were, or have been, DNA based. Another possibility, leading logically from the combination of enhancement of human capacities and the possibility of new life forms, is the prospect of eventual prolongation of life, perhaps in perpetuity 11 . Since mortality is one of the more widely accepted characteristics of human (and all other living) beings, this prospect, combined with the issue of access to the interventions that might make it achievable, is likely to raise some of the most profound ethical issues of all. While it is certainly possible that the scope of nanotechnology in these matters may turn out to be no greater than that of biotechnology, the possibility also exists for qualitatively new developments, and stakeholders should therefore maintain awareness, foresight and analysis capacities with respect to developments in the field. 12 11 This does not appear imminent at the present time, but is logical to raise in a forward-looking issues discussion. The possibility is not just that human beings might simply live longer in their own bodies, but it could also take the form of continual organ regeneration, or humans interfacing with electronic equipment to form new entities. It could also take the form of downloading one’s experiences into software life forms, so that life continues in software etc. 12
Stewardship in Nanotechnology Development: Ethical and Societal Issues SATYEN BAINDUR, PHD Ottawa Policy Research Associates, Inc. OPRA Report 2006-4-1 Issued April 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Determination of R&D Priorities: A Nanodivide? Another recurring concern deals with how research & development priorities as regards nanotechnology will be decided and how the benefits from nanotechnology, especially bionanotechnology (or medical applications of nanotechnology) will be distributed across people with different needs and abilities to pay. (To invent a hypothetical, but not unrealistic example, consider a tissue regeneration process that becomes commercialized using bio-nano-genomic convergent technologies, and enables, for example, reversal of blindness caused by macular degeneration. Initially, the cost of accessing the procedure is likely to be quite high.) Yet such concerns are already present today , and manifest themselves in different health care settings. They are also present in the concern over the ‘digital divide’ – the perception and reality of differential access to the benefits of information & communication technologies by social and economic class, between, among and within nations. Thus, at its core, this type of concern, when expressed about nanotechnology, is really a concern about the transparency and democracy of funding decisions, and not about the nature of nanotechnology itself. However, the opportunity does exist in the nanotechnology context today to address some of these concerns in a distinctive way, by promoting the greatest possible transparency, encouraging inclusive dialogue and wideranging consultations with a variety of stakeholders, and using their input in the policymaking process. This is true within a country, as well as across the international community as a whole. To put this in broader context, consider that nanotechnology has been envisaged to hold the promise of meeting a number of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in the late 1990s. Among these goals include the eradication or substantial reduction in the incidence of malaria, tuberculosis, blindness, HIV incidence, child poverty and hunger; the provision of safe drinking water; shelter and clothing for the populations of the poorest parts of the developing world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. 13 13
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Development Ethical and Societal Issues Satyen Baindur PhD

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