Tecnologie emergenti: differenze tra le versioni

Queste tecnologie sono tipicamente abbreviate dalla combinazione di lettere come NBIC ('''''N'''anotechnology, '''B'''iotechnology, '''I'''nformation technology, '''C'''ognitive science'') che è attualmente l'acronimo più popolare per indicare le tecnologie emergenti e convergenti. L'acronimo fu introdotto con la pubblicazione di ''[[Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance]]'', una relazione in parte sponsorizzata dal [[National Science Foundation]] statunitense.<ref name="Roco and Bainbridge 2004">{{citeCita booklibro| authorautore = Roco, Mihail C. and [[William Sims Bainbridge|Bainbridge, William Sims]], eds.| titletitolo = [[Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance]]| publishereditore = Springer| yearanno = 2004| isbn id=ISBN 1402012543}}</ref>

Varie altre sigle sono state create per lo stesso concetto, come GNR ([[Genetica|'''G'''enetics]], [[nanotecnologia|'''N'''anotechnology]] e [[Robotica|'''R'''obotics]]). Il giornalista [[Joel Garreau]] in ''Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies &mdash; and What It Means to Be Human'' usa "GRIN", che sta per '''G'''enetic, '''R'''obotic, '''I'''nformation, e '''N'''ano processes,<ref name="Garreau 2005">{{citeCita booklibro| authorautore = [[Joel Garreau|Garreau, Joel]]| titletitolo = [[Radical Evolution]]: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies &mdash; and What It Means to Be Human| publishereditore =Doubleday| yearanno = 2005 | isbn id=ISBN 0385509650}}</ref> mentre il giornalista scientifico [[Douglas Mulhall]] in ''Our Molecular Future: How Nanotechnology, Robotics, Genetics and Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Our World'' usa "GRAIN" che sta per '''G'''enetics, '''R'''obotics, [[intelligenza artificiale|'''A'''rtificial '''I'''ntelligence]], e '''N'''anotechnology.<ref name="Mulhall 2002">{{citeCita booklibro| authorautore = Mulhall, Douglas| titletitolo = Our Molecular Future: How Nanotechnology, Robotics, Genetics and Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Our World| publishereditore =Prometheus Books| yearanno = 2002 | isbn id=ISBN 1573929921}}</ref> Un altro acronimo coniato dall'[[ETC Group]] è "BANG" che sta per "[[Bit|'''B'''it]], [[Atomo|'''A'''tom]]s, [[Neurone|'''N'''euron]], [[Gene|'''G'''ene]]".<ref name="ETC Group 2003">{{citeCita journalpubblicazione| authorautore = [[ETC Group]]| titletitolo = The Strategy for Converging Technologies: The Little BANG Theory| yearanno = 2003 | url = http://www.etcgroup.org/upload/publication/169/01/combang2003.pdf| accessdateaccesso=9 febbraio 2007-02-09}}</ref>

Many writers, including [[computer scientist]] [[Bill Joy]], have identified clusters of technologies that they consider critical to humanity's future. Joy warns that the technology could be used by elites for [[good]] or [[evil]]. They could use it as "good shepherds" for the rest of humanity, or decide everyone else is superfluous and push for mass extinction of those made unnecessary by technology.<ref name="Joy 2000">{{citeCita journalpubblicazione| authorautore = [[Bill Joy|Joy, Bill]] | titletitolo = Why the future doesn't need us | yearanno = 2000 | url = http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.html| accessdateaccesso=2005-11-14}}</ref> Advocates of the benefits of [[technological change]] typically see emerging and converging technologies as offering hope for the betterment of the [[human condition]]. However, critics of the risks of technological change, and even some advocates such as [[transhumanist]] philosopher [[Nick Bostrom]], warn that some of these technologies could pose dangers, perhaps even contribute to the [[human extinction|extinction of humanity]] itself; i.e., some of them could involve [[existential risk]]s.<ref name="Bostrom 2002">{{citeCita journalpubblicazione| authorautore = [[Nick Bostrom|Bostrom, Nick]]| titletitolo = Existential risks: analyzing human extinction scenarios| yearanno = 2002 | url = http://www.nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html| accessdateaccesso=2006-02-21}}</ref><ref>[[Kevin Warwick|Warwick, K]]: “March of the Machines”, University of Illinois Press, 2004</ref>

Much [[ethics of technology|ethical debate]] centers on issues of [[distributive justice]] in allocating access to beneficial forms of technology. Some thinkers, such as [[environmental ethics|environmental ethicist]] [[Bill McKibben]], oppose the continuing development of advanced technology partly out of fear that its benefits will be distributed unequally in ways that could worsen the [[economic inequality|plight of the poor]].<ref name="McKibben 2003">{{citeCita booklibro|authorautore=[[Bill McKibben|McKibben, Bill]]|titletitolo=Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age|publishereditore=Times Books|yearanno=2003|isbnid=ISBN 0-8050-7096-6}}</ref> By contrast, [[inventor]] [[Ray Kurzweil]] is among [[techno-utopianism|techno-utopians]] who believe that emerging and converging technologies could and will [[post scarcity|eliminate poverty]] and [[abolitionism (bioethics)|abolish suffering]].<ref name="Kurzweil 2005">{{citeCita booklibro| authorautore = [[Raymond Kurzweil|Kurzweil, Raymond]]| titletitolo = [[The Singularity Is Near|The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology]] | publishereditore = Viking Adult| yearanno = 2005 | isbn id=ISBN 0-670-03384-7}}</ref>