I mentioned on a forum post that, when considering possible futuristic technologies, I always consider how it might be misused. After all, evil men have always existed, and there's no reason to think they won't continue to exist so long as humans remain human. And those evil men are attracted to power like moths to a flame, so any sufficiently powerful technology will be coveted by them.
This is something that many science fiction writers either don't understand or willfully choose not to understand. They write stories about highly advanced societies bereft of crime and vice and corruption. It's as if the technology itself provides atonement for us, making us all angels and saints in the process. And it's ridiculous. As Solzhenitsyn wrote, the line between good end evil runs down the center of every human heart. Machines and other technological advances are morally neutral. They are force multipliers, catalysts for human action and the will, nothing more.
I actually envy those with such a Pollyanna-like outlook. I wish I had their optimism. I'd be a much happier person, I suspect.
In summary, I try to consider the negative ramifications of new tech because I consider the alternative--the techno-utopian future--to be unrealistic and completely contrary to everything we know about humans. If a writer is going to open Pandora's Box, then I would hope he'd show all hell breaking loose.
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