ABSTRACT
High expectations are placed on nanotechnology, for example, regarding health care, economic growth, and sustainable development. Parallel to them, however, there are also concerns about side effects and possible risks it poses. Commissions and expert groups have been dealing with the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of nanotechnology since an early stage of its development. The quest to achieve an ethical understanding in and for nanotechnology is an element of both public debate and scientific self-reflection. After having researched and debated the societal and ethical issues of nanotechnology for some ten years, the time is ripe for me to attempt to summarize, systematize, and assess the status of these issues as well as to think about the further perspectives of the field.
