Drexler and Smalley on Nanotech

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Eric Drexler and Richard Smalley recently engaged in a debate regarding the feasibility of molecular nanotechnology, as highlighted in "Chemical & Engineering News." Drexler advocates for the potential of molecular manufacturing, suggesting significant implications and supporting his views with rigorous scientific frameworks. In contrast, Smalley argues that such technology is either impossible or limited in its applications. The discussion raises concerns about the National Nanotechnology Initiative's focus, as Smalley's skepticism may lead to a neglect of research in molecular manufacturing. This oversight could be detrimental given the potential benefits of advancements in this field. Further insights into Smalley's stance and the broader implications for policy are sought within the community.
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Recently, Eric Drexler and Richard Smalley debated the possibility of molecular nanotechnology in "Chemical & Engineering News":

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8148/8148counterpoint.html

Drexler thinks molecular manufacturing is possible (there's a lot of interesting speculation about the consequences in http://www.foresight.org/EOC/, and the science is made more rigorous in e.g. http://www.foresight.org/Nanosystems/); Smalley thinks it's impossible (or very limited in scope).

Is anyone here able to assess the truth of all these claims? I'm confused.

Or does anyone have opinions about the consequences for policy? It seems that based on Smalley's low opinion of the field, the National Nanotechnology Initiative is ignoring research into molecular manufacturing altogether. This doesn't seem wise to me, considering the potential consequences.
 
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Here's the comments at http://www.foresight.org/NanoRev/istherev.html . I haven't found any further comments by Smalley; if you do, please post.
 
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