Nanotechnology & Society is a collection of sixteen papers focused on the most urgent issues arising from nanotechnology today and in the near future. Written by leading researchers, policy experts, and nanoethics scholars worldwide, the book is divided into five units: foundational issues; risk and regulation; industry and policy; the human condition; and selected global issues. The essays tackle such contentious issues as environmental impact, health dangers, medical benefits, intellectual property, professional code of ethics, privacy, international governance, and more.

On the autonomy and justification of nanoethics / Fritz Allhoff -- The presumptive case for nanotechnology / Paul B. Thompson -- The bearable newness of nanoscience, or, How not to get regulated out of business / Arthur Zucker -- Ethics, risk, and nanotechnology : responsible approaches to dealing with risk / Commission de l'Éthique de la Science et de la Technologie -- Intuitive toxicology : the public perception of nanoscience / David M. Berube -- Environmental holism and nanotechnology / Thomas M. Powers -- Nanotechnology's future : considerations for the professional / Ashley Shew -- The tangled web of tiny things : privacy implications of nano-electronics / Jeroen van den Hoven -- Carbon nanotube patent thickets / Drew L. Harris -- Ethical aspects of nanomedicine : a condensed version of the EGE Opinion 21 / European Group on Ethics -- Emerging issues in nanomedicine and ethics / Raj Bawa and Summer Johnson -- Nanoscience, nanoscientists, and controversy / Jason Scott Robert -- Nanotechnology and the poor : opportunities and risks for developing countries / Todd F. Barker, Leili Fatehi, Michael T. Lesnick, Timothy J. Mealey, and Rex R. Raimond -- Cultural diversity in nanotechnology ethics / Joachim Schummer -- Transnational nanotechnology governance : a comparison of the US and China / Evan S. Michelson and David Rejeski.