Nanoscale technologies are surrounded by both hype and fear. Optimists suggest they are desperately needed to solve problems of terrorism, global warming, clean water, land degradation and public health. Pessimists fear the loss of privacy and autonomy, "grey goo" and weapons of mass destruction, and unforeseen environmental and health risks. Concern over fair distribution of the costs and benefits of nanotechnology is also rising.Introduced in 2007, NanoEthics: Ethics for Technologies that Converge at the Nanoscale provides a needed forum for informed discussion of ethical and social concerns related to nanotechnology, and a counterbalance to fragmented popular discussion.While the central focus of the journal is on ethical issues, discussion extends to the physical, biological and social sciences and the law. NanoEthics provides a philosophically and scientifically rigorous examination of ethical and societal considerations and policy concerns raised by nanotechnology.

納米技術被炒作和恐懼包圍著。樂觀主義者表示，他們迫切需要解決恐怖主義、全球變暖、清潔水、土地退化和公共衛生等問題。悲觀主義者擔心失去隱私和自主，“灰色粘液”和大規模殺傷性武器，以及不可預見的環境和健康風險。對納米技術成本和效益的公平分配的擔憂也在上升。2007年推出的《納米倫理學：在納米尺度上融合的技術倫理學》提供了一個必要的論壇，用于就與納米技術有關的倫理和社會問題進行知情討論，并與分散的大眾討論相抗衡。雖然該雜志的中心焦點是倫理問題，但討論范圍擴大到了物理、生物和社會科學以及法律。納米倫理學從哲學和科學角度對納米技術提出的倫理和社會考慮以及政策問題進行了嚴格的審查。