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This is a book on new technology based on present science and
oriented toward helping Americans achieve their individual goals.
The above statement is based on some assumptions that not
everyone will agree with. Here are some of them:
1. I have no concept of the welfare of society apart from
the welfare of the individuals in it. Therefore, I will not talk
about social welfare in general, because I think most such talk
involves one group trying to determine how other people should
live.
2. An individual is the best judge of his own welfare.
People make many mistakes in judging their own welfare, but they
are nothing compared to the mistakes people make in judging the
welfare of others.
Consequently we do not discuss happiness, which seems to me a
dubious concept, only goals. We will help people achieve what
they want for themselves and not worry about whether it will
make them happy.
3. From this point of view any advance in technology
is worthwhile provided all the significant effects of its
use are taken into account. Naturally some technologies
may have no worthwhile applications, and we will concentrate
on those that do.
The above principles may seem vague, but when we come
to apply them, you will see that some of the applications may
violate some of your most cherished ideas about what is good
for other people.