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Topic: virus: The capture of Eric Drexler's nanotechnology memes. (Read 1664 times) |
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virus: The capture of Eric Drexler's nanotechnology memes.
« on: 2003-12-17 09:48:08 » |
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This seems like a "singularly" appropriate subject to discuss
here. (Xposted from the Cryonics list)
There has been one reply round on the memetics list.
Keith Henson
***************
Message #23110
From: "Aschwin de Wolf" <amwdewolf@singularitypress.com>
Subject: Eric Drexler vs the National Nanotechnology Initiative
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 10:55:53 -0500
Let the Nanotech Wars Begin!
KurzweilAI.net, Dec. 14, 2003
http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=/news/news_single.html?id%3D2748
The debate over whether molecular manufacturing and nanoassemblers are
feasible has turned into a PR war. With billions of dollars of research
funding and industrial profits at stake, both sides are taking their
ideological clash to the public.
So far, Eric Drexler and the Foresight Institute own the moral and
scientific high ground. But his critics at the National Nanotechnology
Initiative hold the purse strings. And they don't play by the same rules.
Dr. K. Eric Drexler has his game face on. I'm in Palo Alto, watching him sit
on a panel discussion of "Nanotechnology: The Money, Science and Politics of
the Next Big Thing," sponsored by the Cato Institute, a national
anti-regulatory watchdog group. Drexler is defending his vision of molecular
nanotechnology (MNT).
Strangely enough, Drexler's chief detractors are representatives of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the government program pouring
nearly $3.7 billion into nanotech research and development programs over the
next four years. The NNI program legislated by Congress also authorizes
public hearings and expert advisory panels, including the American
Nanotechnology Preparedness Center to study the emerging technology's
potential societal and ethical effects. But no funds are appropriated to
study Drexler's molecular manufacturing proposals; the NNI contends that
Drexler's ideas are "too far out" to merit even a feasibility study under
the present round of funding -- that they are, in fact, "science fiction."
The high irony of this is, of course, that Drexler, along with Arthur R. von
Hippel, Richard Feynman and Marvin Minsky, is one of the founding fathers of
molecular nanotechnology. He practically single-handedly transformed
nanotech from a gleam in Feynman's eye into a rigorous scientific discipline
in its own right with his landmark 1992 book Nanosystems. His farsighted
vision of nanotechnology centers on the consequences of MNT, specifically
molecular nanoassemblers, a profoundly disruptive technology that, when
mature, will transform almost every aspect of human life.
Unfortunately, the NNI doesn't approach nanotechnology with such a long-term
vision or revolutionary focus. NNI has broadened its definition of
nanotechnology far beyond MNT to include almost anything on the scale of the
ultra-small, from synthetic nanomaterials chemistry to nanoelectronics to
MEMS to bioengineering, and focused its vision on nanotechnologies with a
relatively quick payoff. Very little of the huge research funding bill
recently signed by President Bush will go towards enabling technologies for
MNT or molecular manufacturing. Clearly,
Drexler is pleased with neither the policy direction of the NNI, nor the
unscientific tone of the criticism recently directed against his work by NNI
chief scientist Richard Smalley, whose argument concludes that Drexler is
"scaring our children" with his vision of a powerful, transformative MNT in
the near future.
When a rival panelist derisively refers to Drexler's Foresight Institute as
a "religion," Drexler ripostes: "That's a slur! That's the third slur today.
This is not a scientific discussion."
Indeed, it is not. As evidenced by the seminar's title, as nanotech shifts
gears from theory to applications, the tone of the field's policy dialogue
has changed from a sober, disciplined scientific discussion into a
multi-sided, viciously competitive political and economic fray.
Huge amounts of money are at stake: not just the government research grants,
but the potentially enormous profits of commercial nanotech spin-offs from
the research they will support.
The government is also wary of the perceived scariness of some potential
consequences of MNT, such as economic dislocations caused by cheap
nanomanufacturing, formidable nanoweapons of mass destruction, and the
notorious gray-goo scenario. NNI people therefore take care to distance
themselves from any research that might cause a politically inconvenient
public outcry against nanotechnology.
Apparently this strategy includes stooping to discredit Drexler publicly,
for example by using Nobel laureate Richard Smalley to claim that Drexler's
vision is scientifically infeasible. That makes about as much sense as the
AEC trying to ruin Einstein's career. By attacking Drexler, the NNI is
sawing off the very limb they're sitting on, and it's making them look
pretty dumb.
The NNI's no-holds-barred, hit-'em-below-the-belt spirit ran high at the
seminar, which was attended about equally by Drexler supporters, enemies,
and fence-sitters, many of whom wondered out loud at the feckless acrimony
of the panel discussion. To his credit, Drexler conducts himself in this
highly polarized atmosphere as a gentleman and defender of scientific
idealism, principle and rigor, a polished presenter of his point of view.
But he also seems drawn out of his element and outflanked by better-funded
and far less scrupulous adversaries. Drexler's seniority in the field and
the scientific logic of his position are unassailable, while that of his
detractors is questionable.
For more detail on this, see analyses by Chris Phoenix and Ray Kurzweil
analyses of Smalley's position. Essentially the NNI's objection to funding
Drexler is bureaucratic: because Drexler has no experimental work to show
for his theories, there is no concrete proposal to merit a technology
feasibility review.
Drexler patiently responds, "Fine. I made a detailed, concrete proposal in
Nanosystems. So fund some basic research on molecular manufacturing based on
that proposal," in tones similar to a grade-school math teacher going over
the rules of long division yet one more time.
The stock NNI reply: Drexler can't get experimental funding because there
has not been a feasibility study, and he can't get funding for a feasibility
study because there is no experimental work. Does this remind anyone besides
me of Catch-22? Then the discussion moves back to whether Drexler has even
made a proposal detailed enough to base a feasibility study on. Drexler
rolls his eyes, as if to say, "Don't these yahoos get it yet?" and again
brings up the detailed 1992 proposal for MNT he made in Nanosystems.
Like a couple with irreconcilable differences, the two sides go round and
round the same arguments, seemingly unable to agree on anything. Certainly,
Drexler's opposition gives the strong impression that they have not read his
work very closely, or perhaps not even read it at all. The elephant in the
room here is that, in more than a decade since Nanosystems was published, no
critic has demonstrated a serious scientific flaw in it.
Actually, all the moves in this dance were choreographed long before the
seminar, in discussions between Drexler and NNI personnel such as Smalley,
and the positions and arguments of both sides are available online. There
were substantially no new issues brought to the table in the seminar.
Actually, the most interesting part of the event was strolling around during
the breaks, listening to attendees' impressions of the panel discussion.
The consensus seems to be that Drexler and his opponents are not
communicating very well, because they are speaking two different languages.
Drexler is a scientist and refuses to budge from high-minded scientific and
academic principles, and standard protocols of open inquiry and fair
discussion. The NNI is a political animal, speaking evasive bureaucratese
and always mindful of their constituents. Ne'er the twain shall meet,
conceptually.
Many attendees commented on the perceived lack of principle of Drexler's
rivals. I repeatedly heard phrases such as "straw-man," "circular
arguments," "bait and switch," "moving the goal posts," and the like applied
to the NNI position and debating strategy. It seems pretty clear that
Drexler owns both the moral and scientific high ground in the argument,
though many seem to think he's politically in over his head, outflanked and
outnumbered, and ultimately can't win.
It may be that, in founding the potentially explosive scientific field of
nanotechnology, Drexler has grabbed a tiger by the tail. Whenever big money,
big government and big politics get together, things can get gnarly fast.
The truth tends to become the first casualty in any war, and the war over
the spoils of nanotech is likely to be no exception.
The most interesting comment overheard in my lunchtime pilgrimage from table
to dessert tray was, "This is all bullshit. It's been over ten years since
Drexler showed in theory how to build nanoassemblers. By now, the military
must have a black program to develop MNT before the Chinese or Arabs or
Russians get it. This is just disinformation to throw everybody off the
trail by making the impression that we're not interested in pursuing
[molecular manufacturing and self-replicating nanobots]."
Given the powerful potential military applications of MNT, this idea is
credible. During the 1940s and 50s, the U.S. government publicly decried the
feasibility of nuclear fission and later, fusion, while covertly pouring
tremendous resources into nuclear weapons research. Perhaps there is a
secret nano-Manhattan Project going on somewhere.
After the seminar, I happen to bump into Drexler and have a rare opportunity
to speak with him alone. I bring up the possibility that there could be a
secret military project to develop nanoassemblers, and the current
government position in the nanotech debate is a disinformation program.
Following the briefest of pauses, Drexler looks me in the eye and replies in
the same high, clear voice I'd heard him use during the panel discussion,
"Those things are hard to know about." He still has his game face on.
- David B. Hughes
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David Lucifer
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Enlighten me.
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Re: virus: The capture of Eric Drexler's nanotechnology memes.
« Reply #1 on: 2003-12-17 14:29:45 » |
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> After the seminar, I happen to bump into Drexler and have a rare
> opportunity to speak with him alone. I bring up the possibility that
> there could be a secret military project to develop nanoassemblers,
> and the current government position in the nanotech debate is a
> disinformation program.
>
> Following the briefest of pauses, Drexler looks me in the eye and
> replies in the same high, clear voice I'd heard him use during the
> panel discussion, "Those things are hard to know about." He still has
> his game face on.
Drexler is right of course, a govt conspiracy of this sort would be
difficult to discover. Even if it existed, it is unlikely they would
be retaining Drexler or the Foresight Institute, especially given
their articulated views on openess in research.
It is sad, but I think the Drexler and the FI will have to move to
another country if they want the funding they deserve.
David
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metahuman
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Re:virus: The capture of Eric Drexler's nanotechnology memes.
« Reply #2 on: 2003-12-18 06:27:15 » |
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Not that difficult if it is in anyway connected with the Pentagon. The Pentagon creates departments like crazy and these departments NEVER close. You just have to find them. Sounds easier than it is, but in theory, it's not that difficult to discover Pentagon-connected "secrets."
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