Information

Knowledge, possession of information, mostly seems an entirely good thing, certainly if it concerns useful knowledge. Knowing how to do things, understanding nature makes life easier and allows more individuals to exist at any one time.

Progress, increase in useful knowlege gained, has been rapidly increasing at an accelerating pace.

The assymetry of offensive versus defensive capability and the difficulty to predict complex systems make the prospect that with continued progress it is only a question of time until anyone can create pathogens or weapons of mass destruction a serious concern and a leading contender for the solution to Fermi's paradox, i.e. the question why there do not seem to be any civilizations able to colonize other solar systems than the one where they emerged. The dangerous sides of increasing knowledge might be impossible to contain. But then, it might be possible, too. This site starts with the assumption that it is possible.

The question whether the gathering of information, the accumulation of knowledge, is an intrinsically limited process is intriguing but it would be much more important to find creative solutions that offer different perspectives.

References

• In 2004 Bill Joy's influential call to contain dangerous technologies (robotic, genetic, nanotechnology) "Why the future doesn't need us" (re-)started many discussions on the risks of progress and what to do about it.

• 1990: Paul Romer in Endogenous Technological Change (Journal of Political Economy. 98, Nr. 5, part 2, October 1990, S. S71–S102) first pointed out the relevance of useful knowledge for the economy.