Church & Regis, Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves.
Choice quote:
For all the benefits its promises, synthetic biology is potentially more dangerous than chemical or nuclear weaponry, since organisms can self-replicate, spread rapidly throughout the world, and mutate and evolve on their own...
So, how should we prioritize our research and life goals? ...We could join George Mallory, who justified a huge and risky effort with the phrase "Because it's there" — referring to Mount Everest where his body was lost, frozen in ice, for 75 years. But this is to blunder along blindly...
As a general goal I propose that, as a minimum, we ought to avoid the loss of all intelligent life in the universe.
The authors mention the singularity, and Singularity University, shortly after that, and they cite Good and Vinge and Kurzweil, but they ignore Yudkowsky and Singularity Institute.
This is the monthly thread for posting media of various types that you've found that you enjoy. I find that exposure to LW ideas makes me less likely to enjoy some entertainment media that is otherwise quite popular, and finding media recommended by LWers is a good way to mitigate this. Post what you're reading, listening to, watching, and your opinion of it. Post recommendations to blogs. Post whatever media you feel like discussing! To see previous recommendations, check out the older threads.
Rules: