Introduction: Nanotechnologies and the Quest for Responsibility

This chapter provides an introduction to the issue of responsibility in nanotechnology development. After introducing the growing relevance of responsible development in nanotechnology policy and regulation, the chapter illustrates the structure of the volume and highlights three major aspects of responsibility that the book addresses: (1) responsibility and social relationships; (2) responsibility, division of social labour and institutional settings; (3) responsibility and orientation to the future. Eventually, the chapter suggests that the considerations proposed in the book about the responsible development of nanotechnologies offer useful entry points to frame a broader discussion on the responsible governance of emerging technologies.