In 4 days we will celebrate Independence Day; a day commonly referred to as just "the fourth of July", by those who care less about preserving heritage and liberty, but still want a day off. For many of us, it’s a patriotic day of remembrance and celebration and I look forward to it every year. Each year I try to reflect on what in the past year has changed in my country and this year is no exception. Some changes have been quite good and some are alarming.
Freedom - my freedom - my personal freedom in the United States of America and my personal state of independence as an American citizen and the state of Texas is still important to me. Did I enjoy the benefits of freedom this last year, as much as any other past year? Was my personal freedom enhanced, enlarged, reduced or restricted in the last 365 days? Has my idea of what freedom is (in this country) changed, or do I feel like society has redefined what is an acceptable amount of freedom?
Has my government taken steps to protect my freedom by taking more of it away? Have yet more rules and laws been enacted by our judicial system to save and protect my freedom, while at the same time making freedom less savory?
The answer is complex and all I can say is I’m uncertain that freedom will continue in this country. It’s been a rough year for Americans. I’m afraid we are riding a rolling snowball, which is just getting bigger by the second - the snowball of technology.
Bill Joy, cofounder of Sun Microsystems wrote a paper back in 2000 called "Why the future doesn’t need us" and of course, I was compelled to read it. In this publication, he explains how the unchecked spread of technology, which is designed to free us from mundane and laborious tasks, will eventually replace and quite possibly annihilate us.
Genetics, Nanotechnology, and Robotics are advancing at an astoundingly exponential pace and Mr. Joy reasons we will see self-replicating and independent of human interaction hyper-intelligent robots in less than 23 years. If this doesn’t make sense, then ponder it this way. By the year 2030, machines could replace man, whether man will like it or not. If that is freedom, I want a rain check.
Nanotechnology, genetic engineering, stem cell manipulation and robotics, while having tremendous benefits and possibilities, could turn us from freedom, to a state of slavery, or worse. We are so tuned to believing advances in technology are progressive, that we accept breakthroughs in science with open arms. Progress is good – right?
Artificial Intelligence will replace human reasoning and all semblance of human intervention will become obsolete and extinct. This is the scenario envisioned in the popular science fiction "Matrix" series. By the third movie "Replicators" are producing robots to destroy man at a rate so infinitesimally fast that mankind has no chance of stopping them.
We love America’s military technology, but imagine if it was used against us. Scary, isn’t it?
I admit this is pure neo-Luddite philosophy and even though I am computer literate, I am guilty of leaning this way more often than not. When my future freedom is at stake and I read warnings from those who are in the forefront of advancing technology, it scares the bejesus out of me, or maybe I should say it makes me want to cry out to Jesus…
Ted Kaczynski wrote a fascinating and insightful manuscript titled "Industrial Society and Its Future", but it is better known as the "Unabomber Manifesto". It is a captivating document warning about the dangers of the technology industry and before anyone gets the idea that I agree with Mr. Kaczynski’s methods for stopping technology, let me say I think his solution of violent revolution is unacceptable.
I urge everyone to download a copy from the Internet and wake up to the reality that the misuse of technology is a growing menace towards our freedom. You will find it here: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Industrial_Society_and_Its_Future Bill Joy"s article is found here: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html
My individual freedom appears to be getting more restricted every year. Rules, laws, dangers, terrorists, criminals, regulations, limits, taxes and congestion are all vying for dominance. Is there any place I can go in America where it is less complicated?
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We’re a step closer to creating a synthetic form of life
By William Atkins
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Genomics is the field of science that involves the entire genome of an organism; that is, the hereditary information stored inside DNA—deoxyribonucleic acid.
Venter’s goal in transplantation of the genome from one species of bacteria into another bacterial species is to help take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, with the eventual hope of helping clean up the atmosphere and reducing the United States’ dependency on petroleum products.
Many scientists are calling Venter’s accomplishment a very important step for eventually creating the first synthetic life form.
As a further step, Venter is also working toward synthesizing the entire genome—which consists of a length of 580,000 DNA units--of the parasitic bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium. It is considered the smallest free-living bacterium (that is, able to live outside a host).
If Venter is able to produce the first synthetic life form out of the Mycoplasma bacterium, his research team will validate human ability to control the mechanism of a living organism through synthetic biology, a more difficult form of genetic engineering, which does not just move genes into bacteria but actually controls them for a specific purpose.
Venter’s activities would create an identical organism with one that is found naturally in nature. This organism would not present any type of hazardous condition to humanity or life in general. However, the research and development of organisms within synthetic biology do have the possibility of creating synthetically produced living organisms that could pose threats to humanity if they should fall into the possession of people with devious intent, such as groups of terrorists or unfriendly countries.
On the other hand, work in synthetic biology has the enormous positive potential for, among other things, producing synthetic fuels and energy sources, enhancing human life, improving human health, improving chemicals, and a vast host of other possibilities. In fact, synthetic fuels are forecaste to be produced within ten years. Already, minute amounts are being produced from bacteria in a laboratory in California.
The J. Craig Venter Institute is located in Rockville, Maryland. Its website is: http://www.jcvi.org/
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