Английский язык: Аннотирование и реферирование текста

292 The Chief Danger : Abuse The chief danger of nanotechnology isn't accidents, but abuse. The safety benefits of nanotechnology, when used with normal care, will free some of our attention to grapple with this far more difficult problem. As Lester Milbrath observes, "Nanotechnologies have such great power that they could be used for evil or environmentally destruc- tive purposes as easily as they could be used for good and environmen- tally nourishing purposes. This great danger will require a level of po- litical control far beyond that which most nations know how to exer- cise. We have a prodigious social learning task that we must face." Thus far, we've focused on how increased abilities can serve con- structive ends. Not surprisingly, the potential consequences – with the huge exception of social and economic disruption – are overwhelm- ingly positive. Inherently clean, well-controlled, inexpensive, superior technologies, when applied with care, can yield far better results than inherently dirty, messy, costly, inferior technologies. This should come as no surprise, but it is only half of the story. The other half is the ap- plication of those same superior technologies to destructive ends. Readers feeling that all this may be too good to be true can breathe a sigh of relief. This problem looks tough. Cooperative Controls Molecular manufacturing will lead to more powerful technolo- gies, but our current, crude technology already has world-smashing po- tential. We have lived with that potential for decades now. In the com- ing years, we will need to strengthen institutions for maintaining peace- ful security. If most of the political power in the world, and with it most of the police and military power, sees that the course of self interest lies in peace and stability, then solutions seem possible. (The prospect of an arms race in nanotechnology is terrifying and to be avoided at almost any cost. As of this writing, the end of the Cold War offers a better hope of avoiding this nightmare.) James C. Bennett, a high-tech entre-