Science debate 3: panel
Technology: taking the good without the bad?
The third debate in the series staged by Greenpeace and New Scientist focused on new technologies and their potential impact. Technologies such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics and new biotechnology are all on the horizon. What will be the meaning of these developments? What are the dangers to ourselves and to the environment? Will we even notice that we have handed over power and control of our lives to our creations? These were the issues that the speakers were asked to address.
Robin Grove-White, emphasised the political context in which the new developments are taking place. If GM food is taken as an example, government and society are not at all well prepared for the spate of new technologies approaching. Chaos could ensue as the introduction of new products hits a backlash with a more sophisticated public who might not accept on trust assurances from business and government that all the relevant questions about power, control and responsibility had been addressed. Currently these legitimate concerns, because they do not fit into conventional risk assessment, are labelled irrational.
Read the speech
Hear the speech (High quality MP3 6.8Mb)
Hear the speech (Low quality MP3 2.5Mb)
Ian Pearson, from BT exact explained his concern that our scientific understanding is now lagging behind our ability to develop technology that could have profound effects. He pointed out that the number of technologies capable of causing human extinction was rising rapidly and would continue to do so over the next few decades. And these technologies would be cheap enough for any unhappy and suicidal teenager to work with.
Read the speech
Hear the speech (High quality MP3 5.4Mb)
Hear the speech (Low quality MP3 2.0Mb)
John Turney, examined the market pull that human desires and aspirations would give to certain developments, specifically new knowledge and technology that extended the human lifespan. Any attempt to constrain or control such technology is bound to end in failure. The best we can do is to keep a watch on developments and mitigate the bad effects as they become apparent.
Read the speech
Hear the speech (High quality MP3 5.2Mb)
Hear the speech (Low quality MP3 1.9Mb)
Brian Aldiss, science fiction author, focused on the difficulties of predicting how new technology could impact on human emotions and relationships. Some developments, like androids, he could see affecting human relationships profoundly. But their development was inevitable because human curiosity would drive it.
Read the speech
Hear the speech (High quality MP3 5.6Mb)
Hear the speech (Low quality MP3 2.5Mb)
The debate raised many issues about GM crops, our ability to control technology, and the role that scientists themselves play in controlling what developments take place. It also touched on the ability of technology to run away with itself as it became capable of evolving without human intervention. A further theme was how new technology will mostly benefit developed countries and poorer nations will be left out.
Read the debate
As you can see, we have made the speeches available and some of the questions and debate. Unfortunately the sound quality has meant that not all the debate was transcribed effectively. But we hope you can read some of the highlights.
