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Ray
Kurzweil Responds
I
think that ultimately we will need self-replication for an ironic reason,
which is to guard against pathological self-replication. We have debated
this, and I think it is actually the crucial issue. In the early stages,
probably a non-self-replicating nanotech immune system will work, but
ultimately I think you will need self-replication for the same reason
biology discovered that through evolution: that you need self-replication.
You are not going to be able to get defenders everywhere they need to
be in time. Because that is ultimately possible, we are going to have
to develop a nanotech immune system that will be able to self-replicate.
And that's a disaster scenario for which we need to be prepared.
And
then there's a further irony in it: from a software pathogen, you could
turn this nanotech immune system into a self-destroyer. This is all
the more reason to have a geoethical organization that can deal with
this subtlety because whether the whole thing is, whether your immune
system is friendly or not, and you can develop an autoimmune disorder
is of profound importance. This is a subtle distinction with catastrophic
implications.
I like this proposal. We need to develop some kind of organization that
has the wisdom to develop these solutions, because there are going to
be subtle differences between protection, defense, and offense. We want
the development of an immune system to be in responsible hands.
Martine Rothblatt started the satellite vehicle tracking and satellite radio industries and is the Chairman of United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company.
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