The concept of evil in the nano age

from the bad-guys-shall-always-be-with-ye dept.
From India, Sharad Bailur writes "Frankly I am quite overwhelmed by what I have been reading these last few days beginning with Ed Regis's book, Nano just a few days ago. I had read the Feynman speech of 1969 [CP: make that 1959] some years ago and it seemed an interesting if far out idea and now this. I have ordered for the original Drexler bible Engines of Creation and expect to get it in another three weeks or so. I am interested in how absolute human evil can be dealt with in the nano age. I have a feeling that this is a problem that could turn out much more difficult than the optimistic assessment of most nano scientists."Read More for the rest of Sharad's post. "Remember, the desire to harm and destroy is not something that one can wish away. And evil can be as intelligent as any one else. I remember seeing an old bag-lady who was easily in late 70s in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston in 1983 being set upon and beaten up by a group of hoodlums "just for kicks". She had little other than her pathetic little plastic bag into which she was collecting rubbish scrounged from various garbage bins. How does one handle the "justforkix" syndrome in the nano age? I am all for the all purpose microwave oven that produces anything including copies of itself . But how do you control a nation that has this capability and refuses to offer it to others? Luxury and comfort are satisfying when you have them; they are more satisfying when others do not. I think these matters need to be discussed and thought out with care.
Sharad Bailur, Mumbai, India
http://members.tripod.com/~sbailur/index.html"