Philosophical Assessment and Policy Implications of the Impact of Convergent Sciences & Technologies on Culture and Society: A Study from the Viewpoint of Critical Rationalism

Critical assessment of social changes and the impact of factors which, through their mutual interactions, shape the outlooks and ways of life of people and societies are among the major concerns of contemporary philosophers who would like to use their theoretical knowledge to tackle applied problems. In the present paper we try to assess, from a philosophical and critical point of view based on Critical Rationalism, some of the socio-cultural impacts of wide-ranging changes caused due to unprecedented developments in the converging sciences & technologies. The first part of the paper deals with a brief introduction of the notion of the fourth wave of scientific and technologies development due to developments in the following four fields: Nano, Bio, Info, and Cogno (NBIC). In the second part of the paper we discuss some of the most important socio-cultural consequences of the developments in NBIC sciences and technologies. The main aim of this philosophical investigation is to consider the options open to modern man vis-à-vis new developments in sciences and technologies. In the last part of the paper some policy recommendations with regard to the issues discussed are introduced. It is hoped that the proposed recommendations prove to be useful for the policy-makers in Iran.