Bounding an emerging technology: Para-scientific media and the Drexler-Smalley debate about nanotechnology

Abstract

The term “nanotechnology” is often used to describe a promising new field, but defining its scope and its key players is a politically charged process with implications for research funding, legislation, and public perception. This paper examines a public debate between K. Eric Drexler and Richard Smalley, published in Chemical & Engineering News in 2003, that served as a high-profile example of this tension. We argue that this debate was not simply a scientific disagreement, but rather a product of the “para-scientific” media, a category of publications that sit between formal scientific journals and public forums, seeking to simplify complex scientific issues for a broader audience. This analysis reveals how the para-scientific media actively shaped the debate, simplifying a complex set of uncertainties about nanotechnology’s potential into two polarized views, and how both Drexler and Smalley were positioned as key figures in this effort. Ultimately, the para-scientific media’s role in creating and amplifying this controversy has significantly influenced how nanotechnology is perceived and debated, highlighting the crucial role of media in shaping the public understanding of emerging technologies.