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Engines of Creation
Engines of Creation by Eric Drexler. Nanotechnology, or molecular technology, involves the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules, something the human body already does. In Engines of Creation, Drexler attempts to predict, justify, quantify, and caution us about this important new field in engineering.
Despite a massive assault by its critics, Engines of Creation is a truly revolutionary work, and Eric Drexler should be commended for launching a worldwide discussion on the topic of molecular manufacturing, or molecular nanotechnology (MNT), as some refer to it. First of all, this is a book that needs to be updated (the opening chapters deal in-depth with protein design and a later chapter tries to paint a picture of a future network of information known as "the Internet"). But the remainder of the book is timeless.
The true merit of Engines of Creation comes not from the argument of whether or not manipulation of individual molecules is possible. We already know that it is. Our bodies are filled with nature's own molecular machines. But the true worth of this book stems from its assumption that such technology will develop into a worldwide enterprise and will have enormous consequences for the human experience. The importance of the examination and study of those consequences cannot be overstated, and Drexler formed the Foresight Institute in an attempt to grapple with many of these issues. (Although personally, I recommend the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology as the best "think-tank" on MNT's benefits and dangers). -- Britt Gillette
Note: Engines of Creation is also available online