[extropy-chat] Smalley, Drexler and the monster in Lake Michigan

John K Clark jonkc at att.net
Sun Dec 7 05:05:19 UTC 2003


"Brett Paatsch" <bpaatsch at bigpond.net.au>

> it is a mistake to think that the burden of proof  lies on Smalley.

I disagree, I think the burden of proof is on Smalley. Drexler is proposing
a construction machine, lots of such devices have been made; to say it is
imposable even in principle for this particular construction machine to ever
exist you need to identify which law of physics it would violate. Smalley
has not done this and neither has anyone else.

>  Its a political mistake.

Perhaps, but not a scientific mistake.

> I think it was David Hume that said that extraordinary claims
> require extraordinary evidence.

Yes, and the claim that a machine that organizes matter in a certain manner
will always be imposable is extraordinary.

  John K Clark   jonkc at att.net







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