Knowledge politics and new converging technologies: a social epistemological perspective
The “new converging technologies” refers to the prospect of advancing the human condition by the integrated study and application of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and the cognitive sciences - or “NBIC”. In recent years, it has loomed large, albeit with somewhat different emphases, in national science policy agendas throughout the world. This article considers the political and intellectual sources - both historical and contemporary - of the converging technologies agenda. Underlying it is a fluid conception of humanity that is captured by the ethically challenging notion of “enhancing evolution”.
Keywords: biotechnology; chemical worldview; converging technologies; enhancement; evolution; information technology; nanotechnology; physical worldview
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Publication date: 01 March 2009
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