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There is much evidence that public opinion on nanotechnology will be determined by religious beliefs

In Halo fiction short history of science, a group of Muslim scholars discuss a slice of bacon made by a "molecular assembler" means a device capable of producing meat directly from atoms Individual Instead of cutting the flesh of an animal. All pork is prohibited under the laws of Islam halal. Synthetic Bacon is identical to the real one, but it has never been part of a living pig. Is it still banned?

"The story may seem like a joke, but it shows that the ability of nanotechnology to manipulate atoms can change the material world, to raise religious issues," said Chris Toumey, a cultural anthropologist University of South Carolina, who has studied the relationship between nanotechnology and faith.

mainly secular voices that have expressed their thoughts and concerns about nanotechnology so far, but there is much evidence that public opinion will be determined by religious beliefs. For example, a 2009 study found that the strength of religious beliefs in the United States has a negative relationship with the financial support of nanotechnology. Study the same year found that the most religious country, unless nanotechnology tends to find morally acceptable.

far, religions have been remarkably silent on nanotechnology points outside Toumey. Nothing compared to the difficult bioethical controversies on IVF in the Catholic world, for example. "Nanotechnology is a diverse body of science and technology: some religious groups have enough universities or magazines to discuss such a complicated issue," said Toumey. "Your attention can be stopped if there is a dramatic, either positive, something like a cure against cancer, or negative, as an ecological catastrophe." The absence of official documents, it is difficult to guess the religious beliefs, but this is an opportunity for scientists to prepare in advance.

"I think there was a lot of concern about nanotechnology in religious thought, because if you look in detail the concerns that pose no nanotechnology per se, but rather specific applications, as well as food and the environment, "says Donald Bruce, founder of Edinethics consultancy based in Edinburgh, who worked for the Church of Scotland.

Toumey shared by many religions concern that nanotechnology will change the way of human nature. "Religious communities have responded to the representation of nanotechnology by a group of popular writers, called transhumanism," says Toumey.

Transhumanism is a cultural movement that considers the technology (including nano) of direct artificial human evolution, elimination of the disease, prolong life indefinitely, and use of information technology to reach cyberimmortality something storage as "the soul" of a person on a hard drive. One of its most famous advocates is the futurist Ray Kurzweil. Transhumanist ideas on the immortality of the soul and applies directly shared by most religions shock. "However, the identification of nanotechnology to the type of speakers transhumanist human enhancement is a mistake," said Bruce. A second common concern is the fear that nanotechnology can take control of individual life, creating effects on the environment, without the consent of the people, or providing tools for a better life for the rich. "These concerns echo the general concerns of the faithful towards technology in general," says Toumey. "Some of them can even be shared by non-religious people, but studies show that believers are louder in their discussion. " The language of God, the soul, the spirit and eternal life offers a range of metaphors, symbols, stories and figures of speech that are useful for navigating the ethical issues raised by the technology, according to studies .

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