From: Zero Powers (zero_powers@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Aug 28 2000 - 21:43:44 MDT
>From: "Eliezer S. Yudkowsky" <sentience@pobox.com>
>Damien Broderick wrote:
> >
> > At 02:36 PM 27/08/00 -0700, Gina wrote:
> >
> > >http://www.nano.gov/
> >
> > So frustrating to find that the names Drexler, Merkle and Freitas are
> > nowhere to be found in this 144 page document.
>
>Guess the whole theory of "Be public and open, so that you have some
>influence in how things go" turned out to be a load of horse hockey.
>Nice-sounding theory, didn't work in practice. Drexler gambled and
>lost.
1. I don't think Drexler "lost." OK, so he isn't mentioned in the NNI
paper. So what? I'm sure that everyone who *is* mentioned knows that
Drexler is the leading visionary in the field.
2. That fact that Drexler & Co. are not formally recognized by the
governmental effort, I think, attests more to the radical uses Drexler sees
for strong nanotech than the transparency he advocates. Absolutely *no one*
who needs the vote of middle America to keep his job is going to push a
national nano initiative and at the same time give official recognition to a
guy who says that nano will be used for things like giving people indefinite
lifespan and unlimited wealth. It sounds just a little to far out for mere
entropians to grasp. Not to mention the fact if you give recognition to
Drexler’s contributions you will inevitably have to confront his writings on
the “gray goo” problem. That’s definitely *not* something you want
associated with your nano initiative if you are a politician.
Bottom line, if Drexler was in it to have a positive impact on the
development of nano he has done, and is doing, that. On the other hand, if
he was in it just to be recognized by Joe Q. Public as the ground-breaking
pioneer in the field, OK, perhaps he lost. But if that was his motivation,
I’m glad he lost.
-Zero
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