This is a rare type of book: a prophesy of tomorrow. Written in 1986, this brilliant, audacious book, has many prophesies that came true and many that remain to be achieved. Some of the ideas are naive and never made sense in the first place. That said, it is an inspiration to read because of its brilliance and originality.
The first half introduces Drexler’s vision of molecular assemblers, which can make anything. (Drexler understands the meaning of "small" better than Steve Martin's sketch of "getting small".) In the second half, he discusses the pros and cons of making such assemblers, among many other topics. For example, Drexler predicts the use of hypertext in a future world - which is exactly what happened when the Internet was invented.
The idea of molecular assemblers is the most interesting of Drexler’s visions – and the most controversial. The inspiration for nanotechnology originated from a talk made by Richard Feynman in the 1959: “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”. In 1986, "Engines of Creation" must have created quite a sensation and excitement about nanotechnology. However, at the time the idea of molecular assemblers was not considered feasible by some chemists, particularly a Professor Richard Smally. A debate ensued between Drexler and Smally, who claimed that molecular assemblers as envisioned in "Engines" are impossible. As a result, Drexler -- the inspiration and godfather of nanotechnology -- was ostracized by many in this field he helped create (somewhat like what happened to Oppenheimer after running the Manhattan Project). Drexler later founded the Foresight Institute, which makes forecasts about the future with the objective of making responsible "foresight" in their ideas.
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Top reviews from other countries
DaTool
Espero que el contenido sea mejor que la impresión
Reviewed in Mexico on August 4, 2022
DaTool
Reviewed in Mexico on August 4, 2022
La razón de las 4 estrellas, es que el libro parece usado (ver la primera foto) ya que llegó sin celofán y trae algunos rayones que supongo son de la paquetería. Honestamente son contados los libros que me llegan en celofán, pero este es el primero que me llega un poquito maltratado.
En segundo y que es el título de mi reseña, la calidad de la impresión deja mucho que desear. La verdad la foto que le tomé no le hace justicia, ya que tomando en cuenta lo medio maltratado que llegó y la impresión: parece un libro pirata :(
Tengo más de 80 libros en mi colección y este es el primero que parece pirata. Mi primera experiencia agridulce. No lo voy a devolver, pero si dudaban en comprarlo o no, ya tienen una razón más para no hacerlo.
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