Phoenix in China

As I write this, CRN's Director of Research Chris Phoenix is on his way to China! We were invited to the World High Technology Society's Life Spring Forum in Dalian, China, and Chris was asked to organize the conference session on nanotechnology. As a bonus, he's also been offered the opportunity to go on a lecture and visiting tour to other cities in China.

Chris will give a talk at the conference on the revolutionary nature of programmable general-purpose molecular manufacturing. After that, he'll give talks in Nanjing on progress toward molecular manufacturing, and in Shanghai on advanced nanotechnology and human rights. He'll be back in the States in about ten days. Chris is extremely excited to be going to China for the first time, and to have a chance to spread CRN's message to the far side of the world.

Congratulations, and bon voyage, Chris!

Mike Treder

Comments

[Brett Bellmore]

I'm assuming that there's some rationale according to which promoting research into nanotechnology in a murderous totalitarian state will advance the responsible use of nanotech. Regrettably, I'm suffering a failure of imagination here.

Where to next, North Korea?

[Mike Treder, CRN]

Before deciding to accept this invitation, we asked ourselves those questions. We consulted with our advisors and debated the pros and cons at length. Finally we decided that the opportunity to present our ideas about sustainable development and safe use of the technology was too good to pass up. We also agreed that Chris would not provide any technical information that was not already widely available.

So we're not revealing any secrets, and we are talking to people about our ideas for responsible nanotechnology.

[David James]

Do you have technical information that is not widely available?

David James

[Mike Treder, CRN]

Sure, we've done some work that hasn't been published yet. Nothing groundbreaking right now, though. In time we'll publish most of what we're working on. As a rule, we're not interested in keeping secrets.

[Karl Gallagher]

I think Chris giving talks in a totalitarian country is probably the memetic equivalent of Thyphoid Mary working in an elementary school cafeteria. Not least of which is the example of someone deciding to tackle some of the most difficult problems in the world without asking permission from anyone.

CRN's proposal for a global regulatory regime will probably be seized on by the totalitarians to go along with some of the ideas for UN control of the internet but I think that's a meme that's already out there.

[Brett Bellmore]

The fundamental problem is that the current mainland Chinese government is likely to take two things from Chris's spiel:

1. Nanotech has a lot of potential for helping them invade their neighbors and oppress their own population. And might help them get by without that nasty capitalism.

and,

2. Some kind of international organization might just be a way of delaying the development of nanotech in the West long enough for the Chinese to get it first.

A lecture on how dangerous knives are can have unexpected consequences when you're lecturing Jack the Ripper.

[Chris Phoenix, CRN]

Catching up on old blog conversations...

Come on, people. If you're so worried about me spending a week in China--if the situation is dire enough that I could make a negative difference just by going there and telling them what's on the Internet anyway--then you should be a lot more worried about other nano-related problems. Like the people who continue to deny that molecular manufacturing is possible.

You think China could get ahead of the West, and that would be bad? Fine! Get active! Start educating your congresspeople. Start making a stink about pseudoscientific claptrap like "It can't work because of (entropy, chemistry, quantum weirdness)".

Anyone else who posts here about Typhoid Mary and Jack the Ripper, I want you to state how many letters you've written about the issue, or what else you've actually done to raise awareness of the massive issues our society is currently busy denying.

By the way, I went to China because I thought it would be a good thing overall. Duh. And you had plenty of chances to say something before I went; we announced it months in advance.

Chris

[Karl Gallagher]

Let me elaborate on the Typhoid Mary comment--the best cure I see for totalitarianism is its subjects learning that there's a better way to do things and individuals can make a difference. Chris presenting an example of what an individual can decide to do will inspire a lot of Chinese to try things the Party will be unhappy about. Perhaps I should've used "Johnny Freedom-seed" instead of Mary as my metaphor. It was intended as a compliment, though I grant it's lousy phrasing.

[Chris Phoenix, CRN]

Karl, thanks for that clarification. I had indeed read your post as strong criticism, and completely misinterpreted your point about not asking for permission.

One of the reasons I felt good about going to China was that the Chinese people are probably less well-informed than the Chinese government on this subject, so they would get more useful information from my talks.

Chris