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.