Phenomenological epistemology and nanotechnology: scanning tunneling microscopy as hermeneutic technics

Abstract

Although quite a bit has been written by philosophers of chemistry about the ontology of nanomaterials, this paper proposes to address the question of epistemic access to nanomaterials from the perspective of the phenomenology of technology, since this approach can provide important insights into nanotechnology's ability to yield transparent epistemic access to nanomaterials. In fact, I will argue that nanotechnology lends itself to the same sort of phenomenological analysis as other technologies (such as nuclear reactors) in which direct epistemic access to the product of the technology is not possible due to the nature and/or features of that product. I will argue that nanotechnologies provide only a 'mediated access' to nanomaterials that requires chemical engineers to infer what is happening at the nanoscale from the information provided by the mediating devices. However, the indirect and interpretive nature of this epistemic relation increases the probability of 'misreading' what is occurring at the nanoscale and of unintended consequences from the manipulation of nanomaterials. This analysis concludes that, from the standpoint of safety, there are serious reasons for concern regarding nanotechnology due to the toxicological and environmental effects that may result from such unintended consequences. These concerns also stem from the fact that this problem is insurmountable because the phenomenological limits of epistemic access is endemic to nanotechnology itself.