jellinghaus-robert@CS.Yale.EDU (Rob Jellinghaus) (02/15/88)
I have just finished reading K. Eric Drexler's book _Engines of Creation_.
And I want to tell you all that if you read this newsgroup (and find it
interesting), you MUST go out and buy this book.
In it, Drexler describes what he calls "nanotechnology"--the building
of machines that are basically molecules. These machines have individual
atoms as their basic components, and their abilities are pretty much
universal--they can build ANYTHING that can be built, by piecing it
together atom by atom. One example is the construction of super-strong
cabling by piecing together carbon atoms into a diamond fiber which
would be "fifty times as strong as the same weight of aluminum" (p. 12).
Drexler is one of the most intelligent and non-biased writers I have
ever read. He discusses all aspects of the new technology, from new
construction materials to supercomputers, from rocket engines grown in
vats to molecular robots capable of repairing our bodies. And he
discusses the social implications: what will it mean when human labor
is unnecessary? What will the world be like when our heaviest industry
produces NO POLLUTION WHATSOEVER? Even if you think that his science
is bunk (and I believe you will find it difficult to disprove his
arguments), the book is worthwhile merely for his discussion of how we
can hope to prepare for the developments which will change our world
in the future.
As Marvin Minsky says in the foreword, "K. Eric Drexler's _Engines of
Creation_ is an enormously original book about the consequences of
new technologies. It is ambitious and imaginative and, best of all,
the thinking is technically sound. ... _Engines of Creation_ sets us
on the threshold of genuinely significant changes; nanotechnology
could have more effect on our material existence than those last two
great inventions in that domain--the replacement of sticks and stones
by metals and cements and the harnessing of electricity. Similarly, we
can compare the possible effects of artificial intelligence on how we
think-- and on how we might come to think about ourselves--with only
two earlier inventions: those of language and of writing.
"We'll soon have to face some of those prospects and creations. How
should we proceed to deal with them? _Engines of Creation_ explains
how these new alternatives could be directed towards many of our most
vital human concerns: towards wealth or poverty, health or sickness,
peace or war. And Drexler offers no mere neutral catalog of possibil-
ities, but a multitude of ideas and proposals for how one might start
to evaluate them. _Engines of Creation_ is the best attempt so far
to prepare us to think of what we might become, should we persist in
making new technologies."
Does the above interest you? Then order this book. I promise you
won't regret it.
K. Eric Drexler, _Engines of Creation_ (New York, Anchor Press/Doubleday,
1987). ISBN 0-385-19973-2 (pbk). $10.95 in paperback.
Thanks for your patience with this posting.
Rob Jellinghaus | "They're cute, they're quick, and
jellinghaus@yale.edu | they're small! Ha ha ha!!"
ROBERTJ@{yalecs,yalevm}.BITNET |
!..!ihnp4!hsi!yale!jellinghaus | -- _Good Morning Vietnam_jellinghaus-robert@CS.YALE.EDU (Rob Jellinghaus) (02/15/88)
Yes, I know this is a followup to my own article...
In the afterword to _Engines of Creation_, Drexler writes:
-------
If you want to keep in touch with these developments, and with efforts
to understand and influence them, please get a pen and paper and send
your name and address to:
The Foresight Institute
P.O. Box 61058
Palo Alto, CA 94306
-------
I did this. You all might want to do it too.
Does anyone happen to know whether "the Foresight Institute" exists
on the net? I would REALLY like to get on a mailing list associated
with them...
Rob Jellinghaus | "They're cute, they're quick, and
jellinghaus@yale.edu | they're small! Ha ha ha!!"
ROBERTJ@{yalecs,yalevm}.BITNET |
!..!ihnp4!hsi!yale!jellinghaus | -- _Good Morning Vietnam_sac@well.UUCP (Steve Cisler) (02/16/88)
The phone number I have (10/87) for the Foresight Institute is 415 364 8609.