science
...egardless of pressures big business and/or government ties. An example of this is with Jeffery Wigand. However, it is not the knowledge of, as suggested by Bill Joy, that needs to be regulated yet the use of such knowledge and its dissemination that should be. Our thirst for the ?new? has fueled the rapid advancement of modern technologies in genetics, biochemical engineering, nanotechnologies, robotics even weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Surely, it would be difficult to regulate the knowledge of a certain technology, for example biogenetic research on cloning. The difficulty with monitoring and limiting public access to certain kinds of genetic, bio and nanotechnologies seems to be with patent laws (or the lack thereof), and intellectual property rights as these are things outside of military restrictions would alleviate some of the problem with unethical use. More refined technologies brought huge improvements in the quality of life, but also in weapons of mass destruction. Explosives and vacuum cleaners, artillery and the microwave oven. Accurate and sophisticated theories about the nature of the universe were thought up, and then World War 2 started. Thus began the Nuclear Age - you could also call it the Age of Fear. Nuclear weapons, electronics, computers. From then on, scientific research progressed at an exponential rate. Moreover, computing power increased with great strides, quality of life soared. Automobiles, televisions, hi-fis, telephones all improved our lives. Long range bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, neutron bombs and cruise missiles were all designed to destroy others. Throughout history, science and technology have proved to be a see-saw of sorts, with the ups and downs, benefits and disadvantages, increasing with time. Today, our quality of life in first-world countries is comparatively excellent - life expectancy is high, general affluence is high, entertainment is readily available. But also we live with the terrible, ever present knowledge that one skirmish, one conflict, one mistake, could destroy the delicate balance of the see-saw and our weapon . . . Long range bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, neutron bombs and cruise missiles were all designed to destroy others. In recent years, there has been a new, relatively unpredicted, trend - the rapid increase in international communications via the Internet. Today, our quality of life in first-world countries is comparatively excellent - life expectancy is high, general affluence is high,...