What Is Nanotechnology and Why Does It Matter? -- Contents -- Preface -- Unit I What Is Nanotechnology? -- 1 The Basics of Nanotechnology -- 1.1 Definitions and Scales -- 1.2 The Origins of Nanotechnology -- 1.3 The Current State of Nanotechnology -- 1.4 The Future of Nanotechnology -- 1.5 Nanotechnology in Nature and Applications -- 2 Tools of the Trade -- 2.1 Seeing the Nanoscale -- 2.2 Basic Governing Theories -- 3 Nanomaterials -- 3.1 Formation of Materials -- 3.2 Carbon Nanomaterials -- 3.3 Inorganic Nanomaterials -- 4 Applied Nanotechnology -- 4.1 Using Nanomaterials -- 4.2 Nanotechnology Computing and Robotics -- 4.3 Predicting the Future of Technology -- Unit II Risk, Regulation, and Fairness -- 5 Risk and Precaution -- 5.1 Risk -- 5.2 Cost-Benefit Analysis -- 5.3 Precautionary Principles -- 5.4 Evaluating the Precautionary Principle -- 6 Regulating Nanotechnology -- 6.1 The Stricter-Law Argument -- 6.2 Learning from History -- 6.3 Objections to the Stricter-Law Argument -- 6.4 An Interim Solution? -- 6.5 Putting the Pieces Together -- 7 Equity and Access -- 7.1 Distributive Justice -- 7.2 Nanotechnology and the Developing World -- 7.3 Water Purification -- 7.4 Solar Energy -- 7.5 Medicine -- 7.6 Nanotechnology, the Developing World, and Distributive Justice -- Unit III Ethical and Social Implications -- 8 Environment -- 8.1 Society, Technology, and the Environment -- 8.2 Environmental Risks of Nanotechnology -- 8.3 Nanotechnology Solutions to Environmental Problems -- 8.4 Overall Assessments: Risk and Precaution -- 9 Military -- 9.1 The Military and Technology -- 9.2 A Nano-Enabled Military -- 9.3 A Nano-Enabled Defense System -- 9.4 Ethical Concerns -- 10 Privacy -- 10.1 Historical and Legal Background -- 10.2 Philosophical Foundations -- 10.3 Radio Frequency Identity Chips -- 10.4 Item-Level Tagging -- 10.5 Human Implants.

10.6 RFID-Chipped Identification -- 10.7 Is RFID a Threat to Privacy? -- 11 Medicine -- 11.1 The Rise of Nanomedicine -- 11.2 Diagnostics and Medical Records -- 11.3 Treatment -- 11.4 Moving Forward -- 12 Human Enhancement -- 12.1 What is Human Enhancement? -- 12.2 Defining Human Enhancement -- 12.3 The Therapy-Enhancement Distinction -- 12.4 Human Enhancement Scenarios -- 12.5 Untangling the Issues in Human Enhancement -- 12.6 Restricting Human Enhancement Technologies? -- 13 Conclusion -- 13.1 Chapter Summaries -- 13.2 Final Thoughts and Future Investigations -- References -- Index.