Engines of Creation

Published in 1986, Engines of Creation is a widely influential book written by K. Eric Drexler that describes the growth and consequences of new technologies. Envisioning a world where self-replicating “molecular assemblers” will manipulate matter at the atomic level, Drexler outlines how nanotechnology can revolutionize commerce, telecommunications, medicine, and science. The book has done much to introduce the basic concepts of nanotechnology to the public as well as popularize the idea during the 1980s and 1990s.

Building upon Richard Feynman's vision of a future governed by microscopic tools, Engines of Creation lays the theoretical foundations of nanotechnology by describing how advances in chemistry and biotechnology will apply the principles of evolution to create self-replicating nanotechnologies. Beginning with the insight that what we do depends on what we build, the book explains how atom-stacking assemblers can let us build [Page 198]almost anything we design from the nanoscale. This technological vision presents no limits to what assemblers can do: they can rearrange atoms into structures of cellulose to rebuild redwood trees, gather solar collectors to supply energy, and even construct sophisticated artificial intelligence systems. As engines of abundance, they can drastically transform medicine and healthcare: microscopic surgical tools can repair blood vessels and nerves, cell-repair machines can correct genetic mutations, and biostasis can even extend and preserve human life. The potential of nanotechnology has the power to fundamentally open up a world of immense possibilities and transform the world.

Technologies that carry the potential to eventually advance the limits set by natural law also carry the potential for massive destruction. Engines of Creation also analyzes how replicating assemblers and thinking machines can pose threats to life on Earth. Emphasizing the importance of foresight, Drexler explains how understanding the wider implication of nanotechnologies can at least prevent some of the worst-case scenarios that may arise with misuse. While pressures of world competition may destroy international trade and create powerful and dangerous nuclear weapons constructed by assemblers, we can nevertheless use the same tools of destruction to build ultimate tools of peace. Engines of Creation also first raised the possible scenario of what would happen if self-replicating nanobots went amuck—what came to be known as the “Grey Goo problem.” Engines of Creation has also raised controversial issues and debates within the scientific community. Richard Smalley, in particular, has engaged in a well-publicized debate with Drexler over the issue of whether molecular assemblers are physically and chemically possible. Nevertheless, as a forecast for faith in progress through technology, Engines of Creation has done much to popularize nanotechnology and the importance of foresight in science.