View source for Engines of Creation

{{Short description|1986 book written by K. Eric Drexler}}
{{about|the book on molecular nanotechnology by K. Eric Drexler|the Joe Satriani album|Engines of Creation (Joe Satriani album)}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology
| title_orig    =
| translator    =
| image         = Engines of Creation.jpg
| image_size    =
| caption       = Hardcover of updated version
| author        = [[K. Eric Drexler]]
| illustrator   =
| cover_artist  =
| country       = United States
| language      = English
| series        =
| subject       = [[Molecular nanotechnology]]
| genre         = Non-fiction
| publisher     = Doubleday
| pub_date      = 1986
| english_pub_date =
| media_type    = Print
| pages         =
| isbn          = 0-385-19973-2
| oclc= 22745218
| preceded_by   =
| followed_by   =
}}
'''''Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology''''' is a 1986 [[molecular nanotechnology]] book written by [[K. Eric Drexler]] with a foreword by [[Marvin Minsky]]. An updated version was released in 2007.   The book has been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Chinese.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Cover.html |title=Engines of Creation - K. Eric Drexler : Cover |website=www.e-drexler.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060610003343/http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Cover.html |archive-date=2006-06-10}} </ref>
==Synopsis==
The book features nanotechnology, which [[Richard Feynman]] had discussed in his 1959 speech "[[There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom]]."  Drexler imagines a world where the entire [[Library of Congress]] can fit on a [[Integrated circuit|chip]] the size of a [[Sugar#Shapes|sugar cube]] and where [[Universal Assembler|universal assemblers]], tiny machines that can build objects atom by atom, will be used for everything from medicinal robots that help clear capillaries to environmental scrubbers that clear pollutants from the air.  In the book, Drexler proposes the [[grey goo|gray goo]] scenario—one prediction of what might happen if molecular nanotechnology were used to build uncontrollable self-replicating machines.
Topics also include [[hypertext]] as developed by [[Project Xanadu]] and [[life extension]]. Drexler takes a [[Malthusian]] view of [[exponential growth]] within [[Malthusian catastrophe|limits to growth]]. He also promotes [[space advocacy]], arguing that, because the universe is essentially infinite, life can escape the limits to growth defined by Earth.  Drexler supports a form of the [[Fermi paradox]], arguing that as there is no evidence of alien civilizations, "Thus for now, and perhaps forever, we can make plans for our future without concern for limits imposed by other civilizations."
==''Nanosystems'' (1992)==
Drexler's 1992 book, ''Nanosystems: molecular machinery, manufacturing, and computation''<ref>''[http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/Nanosystems/toc.html Nanosystems: molecular machinery, manufacturing, and computation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008162657/http://e-drexler.com/d/06/00/Nanosystems/toc.html |date=2019-10-08 }},'' {{ISBN|0-471-57518-6}}</ref> is a technical treatment of similar material. ''[[Nanosystems]]'' addresses chemical, thermodynamic, and other constraints on nanotechnology and manufacturing.
==''Engines of Creation 2.0'' (2007)==
An updated version of the book, ''Engines of Creation 2.0'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140810022659/http://www1.appstate.edu/dept/physics/nanotech/EnginesofCreation2_8803267.pdf Engines of Creation 2.0]</ref> which includes more recent papers and publications, was published as a free ebook on February 8, 2007.
==Reception==
The book and the theories it presents have been the subject of some controversy. Scientists such as [[Nobel Laureate]] [[Richard Smalley]] and renowned chemist [[George M. Whitesides]] have been particularly critical. [[Drexler–Smalley debate on molecular nanotechnology|Smalley has engaged in open debate with Drexler]], attacking the views presented for what he considered both the dubious nature of the science behind them, and the misleading effect on the public's view of nanotechnology.
==See also==
*''[[The Limits to Growth]]'', 1972 report
* [[Planetary boundaries]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Cover.html Full text of version 1.0 (1986)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108152007/http://www.e-drexler.com/d/06/00/EOC/EOC_Cover.html |date=2009-01-08 }}
**Full text in Italian: [http://www.estropico.com/id171.htm MOTORI DI CREAZIONE - L'era prossima della nanotecnologia]
**Full text in Chinese: [https://web.archive.org/web/20061118004131/http://www.oursci.org/lib/engine/index.htm 创造的发动机]
*[http://www.e-drexler.com/ Drexler's personal website and digital archive]
*[http://www.e-drexler.com/p/idx04/00/0404drexlerBioCV.html Biography of K. Eric Drexler] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707041816/http://e-drexler.com/p/idx04/00/0404drexlerBioCV.html |date=2020-07-07 }}
*[http://www.thesatirist.com/books/EnginesofCreation.html "Engines of Creation – Nanotechnology Will Save Us" Synopsis by Dan Geddes]
{{Molecular nanotechnology}}
[[Category:1986 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:1986 in the environment]]
[[Category:Nanotechnology books]]
[[Category:Futurology books]]