The Doomsday Machine, by John Markoff

887 Words2 Pages

"The Doomsday Machine"-Fact or fiction

John Markoff's "The Doomsday Machine" is an intriguing view on how our technology may exponentially improve into the future, but the essay fails to support the thesis statement that our technology will eventually destroy the human race. His dire predictions for our future are based on theories as well as conclusions that are themselves based on theories. These predictions do not account for how other simultaneous technological advancements and the desire for profit will affect our world. It ignores the power of human imagination, ingenuity, feelings, and personal motivation. There is also a complete disregard for God's plan.

Most of Markoff’s essay is used to aid us in envisioning the new technology that may be close at hand, but it is written as if a single piece of technology is developed in a vacuum, where its emergence will drastically change our world. This is not how the market for technology functions. Technology markets acts in a manner that is virtually indistinguishable from all other market segments, in that their goal is not to make things we need, per se, but instead it is to make a profit. Profit motivates the free market; and in the technology market, new products have a very short life cycle. The investors’ need to see profits will demand that new technology is placed on the market as soon as there is a perceived demand from the consumer. This tactic will increase sales and to avoid initial competition. With that, competitors may try to exploit profits by using this new technology in a negative way, but there is great profit to be made in counter-threat technology as well. People like Markoff spend time thinking of how new technologies can be used for “Evil”...

... middle of paper ...

...ator of everything, will be victorious is foreseen in what the Angel showed to John. It will be a battle between Heaven and Hell, not of machine and man.

The world is filled with dire predictions for the end of man-kind that have never come to fruition but the predictions keep being announced, and people keep believing them. One prediction that should be removed from the realm of possibility is that computers or robot will somehow play a significant role in the destruction of our world. The Bible records Jesus in the book of Matthew commenting on when the end of time will arrive, saying, "No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows." That being said, if people keep guessing, the law of probability states that eventually someone will get it right. Unfortunately, no one will be around to congratulate the winner.

Open Document