Abstract Of Bill Joy’s The Dark Side Of Technology Essay, Research Paper

In his speech, The Dark Side of Technology, Bill Joy addresses the pros and cons of three new technologies: genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics. Though optimistic about the benefits of these quickly developing and promising technologies, referred to as GNR for short, Joy expresses his concerns about them. Joy is primarily concerned with the self-replicating abilities they potentially possess and the widespread availability of them to those who may misuse them. Joy discusses the fact that unlike threats in previous generations such as nuclear devastation, threats created by GNR will be even more harmful and prevalent due mostly to the ease at which they can be created. Joy, the creator of Java and the founder of Sun Microsystems, speculates that phenomenal improvements and advancements in technology will occur within the next 30 years and that within 20, one may be able to design their own disease. With that in mind, Joy claims that the progress of problems from these kinds of capabilities will surpass defenses against them, and will therefore create devastating consequences. Consequences noted, Joy feels that placing the knowledge of GNR in the hands of those not ethically sound is quite dangerous. Joy also states the inevitability of those unethical people obtaining that knowledge and misusing it.

Rather than looking to technology once again for solutions to the evils of GNR abuse, Joy proposes that we recognize our ability to destroy ourselves and take responsibility morally. Joy sees the adversaries of GNR as indefensible therefore the only true solution or preventative measure in avoiding disaster from them is to not take the chance on these issues in the first place. Joy believes that we must at some point limit development and realize that the ability to develop something does not necessarily warrant the obligation to do so.