| Course description: Nanotechnology and nanoscience are two new emerging fields. They deal with the manipulation, construction and control of phenomena at the nanoscale (basically, the scale of atoms and molecules). In this course, we will examine three main philosophical issues that emerge from nanoscale research: (1) What is the nature of the phenomena studied at the nanoscale? How exactly are nanophenomena constructed and manipulated? (2) What are the mechanisms of representation devised to understand such phenomena? In other words, how exactly are nanophenomena represented? (This raises a number of issues: from the role of various microscopy devices in the laboratory to the imaginative contributions provided by science fiction.) (3) Are there intrinsic risks involved in the development and application of nanoscience and nanotechnology? If so, how should we assess them? Given the interdisciplinary nature of nanoscience research, besides in-class discussion, the course will also feature a number of guest speakers from several areas of nanoscience research.
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