In his landmark 1986 book, “Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology,” K. Eric Drexler envisioned a world utterly transformed by such assemblers. They would be able to build anything with absolute precision and no pollution. They would confer something approaching immortality. They would enable the colonization of the solar system. Drexler sees the development of molecular assemblers and nanotechnology as inevitable and urges society to thoroughly examine the implications of the technology and develop mechanisms to ensure its benevolent application.
Richard E. Smalley, University Professor and professor of chemistry, physics, and astronomy at Rice University, Houston, won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of fullerenes. Much of Smalley’s current research focuses on the chemistry, physics, and potential applications of carbon nanotubes. For the past decade, he has been a leading proponent of a coordinated national research effort in nanoscale science and technology. Like Drexler, Smalley believes the potential of nanotechnology to benefit humanity is almost limitless. But Smalley has a dramatically different conception of nanotechnology from Drexler, one that doesn’t include the concept of molecular assemblers. Smalley does not think molecular assemblers as envisioned by Drexler are physically possible.
For another independent review of the Smaller-Drexler exchange see the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology paper “Of Chemistry, Nanobots, and Policy“
7 thoughts on “Drexler And Smalley Debate Molecular Assemblers”
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Drexler talked about this argument he has with Smalley and friends at the ISDC meeting in San Jose this past May. He’s very passionate about it, but it hadn’t been quite clear to me until this exchange that the main debate seems to be on the issue of whether nanotechnology (for which we have an existence proof in the form of life) can only work “underwater”, or can be done in a “machine phase” vacuum, as Drexler advocates.
Interesting to me is that Drexler was a grad student with Gerard O’Neill during his “High Frontier” days, and was involved in the founding of the Space Studies Institute and many of the early space development conferences. He obviously sees machine-phase nanotechnology as a major component of space colonization.
Actually, Eric Drexler and I were grad students at the same time at MIT and we even had some classes together. I seriously doubt he would remember me, tho – I was very much a stay-in-my-dormroom loner at the time (ha – like that’s something I’ve gotten over now that the keyboard is my best friend) while he was very much involved in the L5 Society and organized all sorts of activities in the Aero-Astro department, which is why I remember him. He is truly a brilliant guy and deserves his successes which he built upon his MIT foundations.
In contrast, that was a rough time in my life. At first it didn’t seem like it – for example, I actually got a job offer from Johnson Space Center while I was at MIT to come and be one of the initial Shuttle flight controllers, which I was quite excited about at the time and could have possibly led to my dream of eventually becoming a mission specialist astronaut. Like Eric, I was on the launch pad of life, ready to blast off into orbit…
But as Buckaroo Banzai said, no matter where you go, there you are. I had gone to MIT to grad school among other reasons to break away away from a demanding undergraduate girlfriend at University of Tennessee. However, my mom committed suicide that Christmas while I was at MIT – long story that’s only one of the reasons I have troubles today with the Season To Be Jolly – and after getting my Masters I wound up back in Tennessee, working in the Oak Ridge nuclear complex so the following September I could marry the girlfriend I had originally tried to get away from. Talk about being on the rebound. My bad.
Our marriage lasted ten years and they were unfortunately stormy ones. Now I’ve got two kids in college on the other side of the continent where their mom moved to, for whom I’ve paid (with great difficulty) six figures of child support and after all that, and much more importantly after always reaching out with my heart, only my son Chris will pick up the phone when I call. Because of what I’ve got to assume is due to the influence of her mom (who also shuns me), I haven’t seen my daughter Diana in almost a decade because she refuses to participate in visitation. Another reason I have problems with the Season To Be Jolly.
One thing about the holiday season, it is a time to focus and reflect on what is truly important, and family is at the top of the list. I have been very fortunate to rebuild my life with a wonderful woman whose children have bonded over the years to me with true affection, and I with them. I hope, dear reader, that you have a circle of friends and family who mean so much to you.
Yet there’s a reason the watchwords of Christmas are peace and goodwill – those are the foundations of healing bruises in the psyche and in life. So Tomme, Diana – if by some chance you ever read these words, I hope that peace and goodwill move you as they have me to try and set the past aside and achieve healing and rebuilding of appropriate ties. It’s never too late to start right now.
Sorry, gang, I always get misty-eyed when I read about Eric Drexler (or others at MIT from that time whom I met…Lynn Conway, or Ed Lorenz, or Peter Hagelstein, or…) As I said before, he deserves kudos as a brilliant visionary who is at the forefront of pushing a scientific revolution that may well change the course of civilization. To me, he’s also a reminder of a critical turning point in my life. I often feel great disappointment that I have not accomplished a fraction of his efforts or achievements, because after all, at one point I was on an equal footing to do so. He got up from his desk on the right side of the class, and I from mine on the left, and we went in two different paths over the decades. Mine has left me unable to watch the Back To The Future movies without wishing in the back of my mind I could be Marty McFly.
A few weeks ago, AP, you left a comment about how extinction could not erase the trace of our existance that would always be etched into spacetime. I’ve found that thought comforting. Whether we live lives great or small, they are all lives worth living. And there’s always a corner up ahead I can’t see beyond which may hide inspiring someone here on SciScoop that I’ll never know I did, or maybe a book or two I may write yet, or certainly new cyberspace friends like drog and Sweetwind and all the rest of you here. Eric has microassemblers to look forward to; I have that. And it’s enough.
Happy holidays ricky!
Thank you, AP, that really means a lot to me, particularly because of your choice of words – let me explain.
I am a BIG fan of Cowboy Bebop, the brilliant Japanese anime by Shinichiro Watanabe that frequently runs late-night on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. This is truly animation for thinking adults; I’ve watched the entire 24 episode series all the way through twice (and the excellent R-rated full-length movie more times than that) and I look forward to watching it all the way through again to find yet more subtleties I’m sure I missed the first two times. I think everyone should watch Cowboy Bebop sooner or later, and when you do, WATCH IT IN ORDER FROM EPISODE ONE.
One of the many reasons Bebop resonates with me is found in the next-to-last episode (“Hard Luck Woman“) where amnesiac Faye finally remembers the circumstances surrounding the accident that left her frozen in cold sleep only to wake up in a future where Earth is effectively destroyed by debris from the shattered Moon. From the script: “Elsewhere. Faye returns to her former home and finds that it is no more. All that is left is a fountain with a broken lion head and an empty lot….Faye draws a rectangle on the ground where her bed would have been, then lies down and watches the sunset.” Boy, can I ever empathize with that scene…
At the end of every episode of Bebop while the credits roll is a fantastic music video called The Real Folk Blues. I’ve been known to sit late at night and play this ending theme repeatedly upon occasion. And in the scrolling lyrics is the (oddly translated) line: “Someone, cry for me with parched eyes”…
And now someone has.
It is seldom that one shares such personal stories in a community forum. Thank you, Ricky. I think we all have regrets in our lives, and can relate to the desire to go back in time and make different choices, but this time with the wisdom of age. The wonderful science fiction novel, “Replay“, by Ken Grimwood, explores this very idea in great detail. It’s a compelling thought, but if given the opportunity to do it all over again, I’ll bet most of us would choose not to. Because it might mean sacrificing all the good things in our lives right now (such as our current relationships and the very existence of our children) for a life that might be better, but might not. I guess we just have to try to learn from our mistakes, and from the mistakes and achievements of others, and muddle our way through life as best we can.
To the most brilliant individual I’ve ever personally known, Ricky: Your accomplishments would already fill volumes. You have the brain of a scientist, the heart of a saint, and the soul of a poet.
You’re only just now beginning to extend yourself. I can’t WAIT to see what meets you around those corners. One of these days, the tears will be for joy. Some of them will be mine :-)
hello! First off, even though( which i’m planning) hadn’t watch the whole siers of cowboy bebop, I love it. Yes, it incresingly becoming one of my favs. I apparently is anime newbie fans and notice a potienial anime. Been around, saw good and bad versions of anime cartoons. Plus saw intersting anime and disappointly have not complete watching it. After all i’m a student. But, every chance I get I load into web site on appealing anime and try to learn something new, which I have. I’m in love with REAL FOLK BLUE song too. I actually had mom listen to it and she likes it. I play it as much as DEARST from INUYASHA which i command you try to listen to it. Go to anime lryics and look up my favorite songs. It seems some of the anime toons has powerful meaning through theirs song. It like the other way to send the theme message from the cartoons. Speaking of themes cowboy bebop has a strong one. You could similarize the theme towards reality. Anywaz, I think I have chat enough.(LOL) Cowboy Bebop is one of the animes I treasure alot. Like Dragon ball Z, Outlaw star, Inuyasha, Big O, Yu Yu Hakusho, Voltron and Thunder Cats( sorry have to add those 2) it one of the greatest anime.
P. S. moms caught me have to go!