Pejman Yousefzadeh, in his Tech Central Station column today, urges Congress to stop treating nanotech legislation "like a secondary issue." He writes:
- Not many people know about nanotech, and some fear that the creation of self-replicating systems might cross certain ethical and security boundaries. Putting aside legislation that affects the development of nanotechnology means putting aside the opportunity to debate the ethical and security issues that accompany nanotech research and development. This leads to an impoverished public debate on the issue of nanotech, and a less informed public -- a state of affairs that is inexcusable given nanotech's tremendous potential to change lives, and change the economy for the better.
Not much I can add to that, except my strong agreement.
If you want more background on pending nanotech legislation and the advisory process, go here and here. For other opinions and predictions on nanotech policy, take a look at these previous posts. If you want to look at a model nanotech policy process that addresses many of Yousefzadeh's concerns, look across the pond.
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