Aims and scope

Rationale

Launched in 2007, ‘NanoEthics: Studies of New and Emerging Technologies’ is an innovative journal of science and technology studies (STS) focusing on technologies converging at the nanoscale and other new and emerging technologies. It has published important contributions to discussions on a wide range of ethical, legal, social, political and cultural aspects of areas such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, neurotechnology and information and communication technology.
The journal has played a key role in ethical and STS discourse on nanoscience and nanotechnology, responsible research and innovation (RRI), synthetic biology, human enhancement / animal enhancement and other topics. At the same time, NanoEthics is an important forum for the exploration of and interactions between art, science and technology. It aims to promote global discourse on the future of humanity in the age of technoscience. With the new Collection “Life Sciences, Society and Policy”, which inherits and continues the journal of the same name (LSSP), our journal is also in a position to become even more relevant for philosophical and STS discussions on biotechnologies and the life sciences.
While the focus of the journal is on ethical aspects, NanoEthics invites contributions on a variety of other philosophical issues as well as contributions from a wide range of fields in the social sciences, humanities and arts, as long as the contributions are relevant to ethically understanding and changing the relationships between new and emerging technologies, science and societies.
 

Nature of the journal

This journal will be a multidisciplinary forum for exploration of issues presented by converging technology applications. While the central focus of the journal will be on the ethical issues, it is recognized that these discussions must be informed by, at least, the physical, biological and social sciences and the law. 

Focus

NanoEthics: Ethics for Technologies that Converge at the Nanoscale will focus on the philosophically and scientifically rigorous examination of the ethical and societal considerations and the public and policy concerns inherent in nanotechnology research and development. These issues include both individual and societal problems, and include individual health, wellbeing and human enhancement, human integrity and autonomy, distribution of the costs and benefits, threats to culture and tradition and to political and economic stability. Additionally there are meta-issues including the neutrality or otherwise of technology, designing technology in a value-sensitive way, and the control of scientific research.  

Readership and Editorial Board

This journal will be of interest to researchers, scholars and students in the various disciplines related to nanotechnology, and to scientific and technological policymakers. The composition of the editorial board reflects the multidisciplinary approach of the journal.