33. Ideas about "selective relinquishment," deliberately deciding not to develop certain technologies as a way of dealing with global risks

In the short term, it may be possible to hold back the development of certain technologies in a certain place. But in the longer term, as scientists and military leaders in more countries encounter the prospect of a powerful technology, it will eventually be developed. There is no world government that can use force to prevent the development of a certain technology everywhere. If a technology is attractive, funds and people will gravitate towards wherever it can be suitably developed. This already happens in the realm of medical tourism and thousands of other areas, both licit and illicit.