Book · 1986 · Forecasts
Engines of Creation
- episodes
- 3
- podcasts
- 2
- people
- 3
- episodes recommend it
- 0
There was Eric Drexler's book in like '85. I remember reading it or maybe '86. I think it was '85. Engines of Creation, which was just a deep dive into If.
Questions about Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler
Who has discussed Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler on podcasts?
No speaker in our archive has explicitly recommended Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler; Daniel Schmachtenberger (1 episode), Eliezer Yudkowsky (1 episode) and Steve Jurvetson (1 episode) have discussed it across 2 podcasts (3 people in all).
Which podcasts mention Engines of Creation the most?
Lex Fridman Podcast (2 episodes) and This Week in Startups (1 episode).
Is Engines of Creation recommended, or only discussed?
Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler was recommended in 0 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 3 episodes, as of 2025-10-16.
What do people say about Engines of Creation?
Steve Jurvetson on This Week in Startups (2025-10-16): "There was Eric Drexler's book in like '85. I remember reading it or maybe '86. I think it was '85. Engines of Creation, which was just a deep dive into If."
When was Engines of Creation last mentioned on a podcast?
Engines of Creation by K. Eric Drexler was last discussed on This Week in Startups by Steve Jurvetson on 2025-10-16.
The best things said about it
I grew up reading books like great Mambo chicken in the transhuman condition and later on engines of creation and mine children um you know like age age 12 or thereabouts.
Eliezer Yudkowsky Lex Fridman Podcast · Mar 2023 I actually really respect Drexler for emphasizing greu in engines of creation back in the day.
Why people recommend it
Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology by K. Eric Drexler is a seminal 1986 science-nonfiction book that introduced the general public to the potential and risks of molecular nanotechnology. On This Week in Startups, Steve Jurvetson brought up the book when recalling his early reading in the mid-1980s, noting it provided a deep dive into the conceptual foundations of future technological possibilities. Eliezer Yudkowsky shared on the Lex Fridman Podcast that Engines of Creation was one of the formative books he consumed around age 12, which profoundly shaped his perspective on the future, transhumanism, and the trajectory of human civilization. Additionally, Daniel Schmachtenberger mentioned the book on the same podcast, explicitly respecting K. Eric Drexler for his early emphasis on the existential risks associated with nanotechnology, specifically the hypothetical gray goo scenario. Across these discussions, speakers highlighted the book as a major intellectual milestone that successfully anticipated many of the profound challenges and transformative potentials defining modern technological debates.
Every mention
Daniel Schmachtenberger I actually really respect Drexler for emphasizing greu in engines of creation back in the day 1
“I actually really respect Drexler for emphasizing greu in engines of creation back in the day”
Eliezer Yudkowsky I grew up reading books like great Mambo chicken in the transhuman condition and later on engines of creati… 1
“I grew up reading books like great Mambo chicken in the transhuman condition and later on engines of creation and mine children um you know like age age 12 or thereabouts”
Steve Jurvetson There was Eric Drexler's book in like '85. I remember reading it or maybe '86. I think it was '85. Engines… 1
“There was Eric Drexler's book in like '85. I remember reading it or maybe '86. I think it was '85. Engines of Creation, which was just a deep dive into If”