At the Dangerous Edge of the Knowledge Quest

Michael Crichton

After graduating from the Harvard Medical School, Michael Crichton embarked on a career as a writer and filmmaker. Called "the father of the techno-thriller," his novels include The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Jurassic Park, Timeline, Prey, and State of Fear. He has also written four books of non-fiction, including Five Patients, Travels, and Jasper Johns. He is also the creator of the television series ER. He is the only person to have had, at the same time, the number one book, the number one movie, and the number one TV show in the United States.

Michael Crichton, the father of the “techno-thriller,” has sold over 100 million books worldwide in thirty different languages. While this would be an astonishing feat for any writer, what makes Crichton’s accomplishment unique is his commitment to the integrity of the human knowledge quest. It is Crichton’s creative leap into a possible tomorrow that captures the attention of millions, but he leaps from a platform cemented in the evidence of today. Part of the allure of Crichton’s novels is the tangible sense that this could happen tomorrow.

"How close are we to world-wide disaster? Well, there are two parts to that answer...."

In this dialogue, Michael and Ken discuss the concerns (popularly raised by Bill Joy) about runaway nanotechnology, viral plagues, and genetic engineering. Specifically, how likely at this time is a world-wide catastrophe due to the unintended consequences of those new technologies? Is the nanotech genie already out of the bottle? Will it be soon? Is there anything we can do to stave off the potentially disastrous consequences of tomorrow’s technologies?

In a touching moment of self-reflection, Michael comments: “There is a part of me that really wants to see people as basically good in their behavior, and I don’t think that’s really historically accurate. Having a good feeling about people, but also being mindful that not everyone will behave in the way that you would like, has been a struggle for me sometimes.”

Many have read Crichton as a neo-Luddite (“Mess with nature, get your comeuppance”), but in this dialogue he makes his view very clear: Progress in technology and knowledge is a good in itself, and nature is a partner in that pursuit—but a partner that must be paid the utmost respect.

And so: are we headed for technological world-wide disaster? Who would know better than Michael Crichton, who by imagining so many future nightmares—and vividly bringing them to page and screen—has looked into the immediate future as brilliantly as any? Please join us for this fascinating look into Crichton’s crystal ball....