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Environmentalism as Eugenics It also states: "A catastrophic event may be needed for In the academic journal Capitalism Nature Socialism, | evolution to move at an accelerated pace, as the Michael Barker extensively covers the connection — extinction of the dinosaurs gave the mammals their between the Rockefeller and Ford foundations in funding chance to take over the world. It is much the same with he environmental movement. As Barker notes, ideas whose time has not yet come; they must survive ollowing World War II the public became increasingly periods when they are not generally welcome. Like the concerned with the environment as the "chemical- — small mammals in dinosaur times they must await their industrial complex" grew at an astounding rate.” Since — opportunity.” Rockefeller interests were heavily involved in the chemical industry, the rising trend in environmental Merging Man and Machine: The Future of Humanity hought and concern had to be controlled quickly and Bill Joy, computer scientist and co-founder of Sun steered in a direction favourable to elite interests. Microsystems, who was co-chair of the presidential Two organisations important in shaping the commission on the future of IT research, wrote an article environmental movement were the Conservation in 2000 for Wired magazine entitled "Why the Future Foundation and Resources for the Future (RFF), which Doesn't Need Us". Joy explains the possibilities in a argely relied upon Rockefeller and Ford Foundation — technological society of the near future, where new unding, and both conservation organisations had technologies like genetic engineering and interestingly helped to "launch an explicitly pro- nanotechnology are "giving us the power to remake the corporate approach to resource world". One © startling conservation". " wee development is that of robot Laurance Rockefeller served as Specifically, robots, technology and its potential impact upon society. Joy states: Accustomed to living with almost a trustee of the Conservation Foundation and donated engineered organisms, US850,000, yearly throughout the and nanobots share a routine scientific freakthrouss, we san s. Further, the “fe ave yet to come to terms with the Conservation Foundation was dangerous amplifying fact that the most compelling 2\st- founded by Fairfield Osborn, factor: they can century technologies—robotics, whose cousin, Frederick Osborn, genetic engineering, and . " became another prominent voice self-replicate... nanotechnology—pose a different in conservation.” Frederick threat than the technologies that Osborn was also working with the have come before. Specifically, Rockefellers’ Population Council and was president of robots, engineered organisms, and nanobots share a dangerous he American Eugenics Society. amplifying factor: they can self-replicate...* In 1952, the Ford Foundation created Resources for the Future (the same year that the Rockefellers created the Joy explains that while these technologies can, and Population Council), and the original founders were also consistently are, promoted and justified in the name of "John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s chief advisors on conservation doing good (such as curing diseases, etc.), "with each of matters". Laurance Rockefeller joined the board of the these technologies, a sequence of small, individually RFF in 1958, and the RFF received $500,000 from the sensible advances leads to an accumulation of great Rockefeller Foundation in 1970.° The Ford Foundation power and, concomitantly, great danger”. Joy ominously would also go on to create the Environmental Defense warns: Fund (EDF), the Natural Resources Defense Council The 2\st-century technologies—genetics, nanotechnology, and (NRDC) and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.” robotics (GNR)—are so powerful that they can spawn whole McGeorge Bundy, who was president of the Ford new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the Foundation from 1966 until 1979, once stated that first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the "everything the foundation did could be regarded as reach of individuals or small groups. They will not require ‘making the world safe for capitalism'". large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will Certainly one of the pre-eminent, if not the most enable the use of them. prominent, environmental organisations in the world is Thus we have the possibility not just of weapons of mass he World Wildlife Fund. The WWF was founded on 11 destruction but of knowledge-enabled mass destruction September 1961 by Sir Julian Huxley, the first Director- (KMD), this destructiveness hugely amplified by the power of General of UNESCO, as previously mentioned.” From self-replication. 925, Sir Julian was also a life trustee of the British I think it is no exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the Eugenics Society (now known as the Galton Institute, a further perfection of extreme evil, an evil whose possibility genetics research centre). His biography on the society's spreads well beyond that which weapons of mass destruction website states that "Huxley believed that eugenics would bequeathed to the nation-states, on to a surprising and terrible one day be seen as the way forward for the human race". empowerment of extreme individuals.” It also states: "A catastrophic event may be needed for evolution to move at an accelerated pace, as the extinction of the dinosaurs gave the mammals their chance to take over the world. It is much the same with ideas whose time has not yet come; they must survive periods when they are not generally welcome. Like the small mammals in dinosaur times they must await their opportunity.”"” "Specifically, robots, engineered organisms, and nanobots share a dangerous amplifying factor: they can Joy explains that while these technologies can, and consistently are, promoted and justified in the name of doing good (such as curing diseases, etc.), "with each of these technologies, a sequence of small, individually sensible advances leads to an accumulation of great power and, concomitantly, great danger". Joy ominously warns: The 2\st-century technologies—genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR)—are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small groups. They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them. Thus we have the possibility not just of weapons of mass destruction but of knowledge-enabled mass destruction (KMD), this destructiveness hugely amplified by the power of self-replication. I think it is no exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil, an evil whose possibility spreads well beyond that which weapons of mass destruction bequeathed to the nation-states, on to a surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals.” NEXUS ¢ I5 self-replicate..." AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com