How will nanotechnology affect society?
The interdependency we have in today’s society comes from the mega centralization of manufacturing and capital. However, it seems clear that nanotech will make a much more decentralized manufacturing possible, perhaps even decentralized o your basement. If that is the case we should see a sharp change. In prehistory we were dependent on ourselves and our family, then we move to tribal organization, then to micro states, then to major states, then to today, where we are dependent of a large multinational industrial economy for our way of life. However, with the introduction of nanotech we can see a sharp reversal of that, all the way back to the family, in a few short years, because we won’t need all these mega-corps or governments to provide our lifestyle. Talk about future shock!
