Nanotechnology for development

摘要

I enjoyed reading the thoughtful piece on "Harnessing Nanotechnology to Improve Global Equity," by Peter A. Singer, Fabio Salamanca-Buentello, and Abdallah S. Daar (Issues, Summer 2005). It is a larger commentary on how knowledge today is both a global currency and a global social responsibility. This is particularly the case with so-called transformative technologies, such as biotechnology, information and communications technology, and nanotechnology, where issues of who has access, who benefits, and who controls the knowledge are critical if nations are to be able to manage their own development and destiny. As Singer argue, "The inequity between the industrialized and developing worlds is arguably the greatest ethical challenge facing us today."