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Teaching Societal and Ethical Implications of Nanotechnology to Engineering Students Through Science Fiction

University of Virginia, rwb{at}virginia.edu

Joachim Schummer

Technical University of Darmstadt, js{at}hyle.org

Societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology have become a hot topic of public debates in many countries because both revolutionary changes and strong public concerns are expected from its development. Because nanotechnology is, at this point, mostly articulated in visionary and futuristic terms, it is difficult to apply standard methods of technology assessment and even more difficult to consider it in engineering ethics courses. In this article, the authors suggest using selected science fiction stories in the engineering ethics classroom to provide students with ethical skills and cultural knowledge required for engaging in public debates and for responsible decision making. Against the background of general debates on teaching engineering ethics, they do so by discussing the advantages and possible drawbacks of this approach and by presenting two examples of nano-science fiction classics.

Key Words: nanotechnology • ethics • engineering education • science fiction

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