> But once we have it there's no taking it away. And do you actually think a
> UN ban will stop all the countries from doing secret research. Once a
> country makes the first nanite it will only be a matter of time before the
> tech itself drifts down to the populous after a small nanowar possibly?
1) If the research is done in secret, this substantially increases the
probability of a gray-goo or nano-dictatorship world.
2) Every hour the research is delayed, another six thousand people
die. Most of these deaths, unlike all those prior to the twentieth
century, are not merely *premature* but *unnecessary*.
3) Do you have any idea how many people would die in nanowar?
4) Do you really want a nanowar?
5) Do you want billions of innocents to die because you were careless?
6) I thought not.
7) So just be careful, okay?
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/singularity.html
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/algernon.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I know.