Dear list members,
This is to announce a new email list called "NanoTalk: A discussion
forum for issues related to nano-science." NanoTalk is hosted at the
University of South Carolina and focuses on the exploration of
philosophical, ethical, social and legal issues associated with
nanoscience and technology.
To subscribe to the NanoTalk email discussion list, send a message from
your usual email address to
[log in to unmask]
with a one-line command
subscribe NanoTalk Your Name
as the body of the message (with your name in place of "Your Name").
Topics for this forum include:
- General summaries and reviews of current research in nanotechnology to
inform participants about the status of the science. Summaries should be
written in a non-technical manner accessible to a broad audience, and
references to published work are useful for those interested in learning
more.
- Identification and exploration of ethical, social and legal issues of
current and future research in nanotechnology. What are the important
areas to explore? How should they be addressed?
- Reflection on science studies issues such as the applied/pure
distinction, the interface of classical and quantum effects, etc. We are
interested in sustained research on the nature of nanoscience, how it is
informed by public and market interests, and how this science and
technology relates to other sciences and technologies.
- Cultural and literary appropriations of nanoscience such as that found
in art or science fiction. We welcome simple citations identifying ways
nanoscience and technology are used in the arts, as well as more
sustained reflection on this usage.
- The relation between the community of nanoscientists and engineers and
the communities of geneticists or cyberneticists and the many other
areas of science. Some of the more utopian and anti-utopian literature
on nanoscience concerns ways that nanotechnology merges with other
cutting-edge sciences and technologies. We wish to explore such
possibilities, and seek to consider how the culture of reflection in
different scientific domains compares with nanotechnology.
- How should nanotechnology be best dealt with in legislation and
politics? What approaches to regulation are best for society? Which
approaches are fraught with problems?
These areas are just representative. We welcome the identification of
additional topics and viewpoints. All approaches whether from the
humanities or sciences are welcome.
For further information, go to
http://www.cla.sc.edu/cpecs/nirt/nanotalk.html
This initiative is part of a broader project at the University of South
Carolina to promote a "nanoliterature culture." We are grateful to the
National Science Foundation and the USC NanoCenter for their support.
Regards,
Joachim Schummer
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Dr. Joachim Schummer
Editor, HYLE: International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
http://www.hyle.org/
[log in to unmask] Fax: +49-69-791235861
Dept of Philosophy, Univ of Karlsruhe, 76128 Karlsruhe, GERMANY
1 January - 30 June 2003:
Dept of Philosophy, Univ of South Carolina, Columbia SC 29208, USA
[log in to unmask] Fax +1-803-777-9178 Phone +1-803-777-3731
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