# A Technology May Halt Science to Preserve Itself by George Dyson > “Imperial China developed sophisticated technologies while neglecting science, and it is all too easy to imagine a society that embraces technology but represses science, until only technology remains. Or, one particular species of technology might achieve such dominance that it halts the advance of science in order to preserve itself.” > **— George Dyson**, *2014, Edge Annual Question: “WHAT SCIENTIFIC IDEA IS READY FOR RETIREMENT?”* ## Sources and Context - **Direct Edge response and surrounding essay:** [Science *and* Technology](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/25266) — the official response page preserves this exact, continuous passage and its surrounding argument. - **Complete local collection index:** [[research/Edge 2014 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2014 Full Quotation Curation]] — retained source-first record for the response object and all canonical reminder links derived from it. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/MARS|MARS]] - **Article:** [[articles/Modern Artificial Intelligence in the 1970s|AI in the 1970s]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Last Migration Will Not Be Human|The Last Migration]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|Never Going to Make It!]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Artificial Intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Artificial Intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] - [[wiki/Algorithmic Governance|Algorithmic Governance]] - [[wiki/Cybernetic Control|Cybernetic Control]] - [[wiki/Machine Learning|Machine Learning]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Imperial China developed sophisticated technologies while neglecting science, and it is all too easy to imagine a society that embraces technology but represses science, until only technology remains. Or, one particular species of technology might achieve such dominance that it halts the advance of science in order to preserve itself.” — George Dyson, 2014, Edge Annual Question: “WHAT SCIENTIFIC IDEA IS READY FOR RETIREMENT?” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-george-dyson-technology-halts-science ```