02/01/2006
A Journey into the World of Atoms and Molecules
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
[1] Nanotechnology refers to a cluster of technologies directed to making, studying and manipulating structures at the nanometre scale. The prefix ‘nano’ comes from the Greek word nanos meaning dwarf, i.e. nano refers to something small. Nano designates 10-9 which means that one nanometre (nm) is one thousand millionth of a metre (Table 1). [2] […]
Honest to God: The Sago Mine disaster cries for Christian formation that blesses bitterness and sanctifies anger
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
[1] Archetypal images of religion in American life filled our TV screens in early January. The cameras fixed their fickle eyes on a small white-frame church amid the worn hills of Sago, West Virginia. A coal mine explosion, Jan. 2, trapped 13 miners in the cold blackness of the mine. Above ground, mining officials and […]
Nanoethics: General Principles and Christian Discourse
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
[1] The hopes for nanotechnology are evident in the amount of public funding devoted to it over the past few years.[1] Nanotechnology, indeed, has been proclaimed the source for a revolution comparable to the emergence of the steam engine, electrification, or computer technology.[2] The visions for nanotechnology include advancing broad societal goals such as better […]
Nanotechnology: Small Times Are upon Us
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
[1] What is Nanotechnology? Most of us have some idea of what technology means, but it is the “nano” prefix that is puzzling. A nanometer is one-millionth of a millimeter, so the scale that we are looking at is miniscule. When we think about what sizes we see under a microscope, we are usually thinking […]
The Alchemy of Nanotechnology
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
“The science of alchemy I like very well, and indeed, ’tis the philosophy of the ancients. I like it not only for the profits it brings in melting metals, in decocting, preparing, extracting and distilling herbs, roots; I like it also for the sake of the allegory and secret signification, which is exceedingly fine, touching […]
The Ethics of Nanotechnology: A Lutheran Reflection
February 2006: Nanotechnology and Nanoethics (Volume 6 Issue 2)
[1] This year, my three-year-old granddaughter wanted a doll for Christmas – but a very special kind of doll. “I want a doll just like me,” she instructed the family. “Only better.” [2] My granddaughter was not envisioning a doll manufactured by cloning her genetic material, or generated by cultivating an embryonic stem cell line, […]