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␈↓ ↓H␈↓¬␈↓ α≡OFFICE MEMORANDUM  *  STANFORD UNIVERSITY  *  OFFICE MEMORANDUM

␈↓ ↓H␈↓ε␈↓ ∧&DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ ¬hMarch 31, 1983




␈↓ ↓H␈↓αTo:␈↓ αH␈↓Professor Jim Adams

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓αFrom:␈↓ αH␈↓John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science

␈↓ ↓H␈↓αSubject:␈↓ αH␈↓debate

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Jim:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Enclosed␈α∩are␈α∩my␈α∩unpublished␈α∩letter␈α∩to␈α∩the␈α∩␈↓↓Daily␈↓␈α∩and␈α∩a␈α∩␈↓↓Stanford␈α∩Observer␈↓␈α∪story␈α∩about
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Bernstein's␈αviews.␈α Its␈αcontent␈αis␈αsimilar␈αto␈αthe␈α␈↓↓Daily␈↓␈αarticle␈αto␈αwhich␈αI␈αrefer,␈αalthough␈αit␈αhas␈αmore
␈↓ ↓H␈↓facts and a somewhat more reasonable tone.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α⊂understand␈α∂that␈α⊂both␈α∂a␈α⊂debate␈α⊂and␈α∂a␈α⊂panel␈α∂format␈α⊂have␈α∂been␈α⊂suggested.␈α⊂ I␈α∂somewhat
␈↓ ↓H␈↓prefer␈α∪a␈α∪debate,␈α∪because␈α∀the␈α∪point␈α∪on␈α∪which␈α∪I␈α∀want␈α∪to␈α∪challenge␈α∪Bernstein␈α∪is␈α∀his␈α∪implied
␈↓ ↓H␈↓suggestion␈α
that␈α
research␈α
on␈αarti≡cial␈α
hearts␈α
and␈α
their␈α
installation␈αbe␈α
slowed.␈α
 I␈α
suppose␈α
that␈αwe␈α
can
␈↓ ↓H␈↓stipulate the technological facts, namely:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α∞Tens␈α∞of␈α∞thousands␈α∞and␈α∞perhaps␈α∞hundreds␈α
of␈α∞thousands␈α∞of␈α∞people␈α∞can␈α∞have␈α∞their␈α
lives
␈↓ ↓H␈↓prolonged some years by arti≡cial hearts.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈αThe␈αcost␈α
per␈αperson␈αwill␈α
be␈αtens␈αof␈α
thousands␈αof␈αdollars␈α
and␈αperhaps␈αeven␈α
hundreds␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓thousands.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈αThe␈α
possible␈αquality␈αof␈α
life␈αwill␈α
be␈αbetter␈αthan␈α
that␈αof␈αa␈α
paraplegic␈αimmediately.␈α
 It␈αwill
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be about like that of someone on kidney dialysis when a backpack version is put in use.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Here are some possible debate titles.  Resolved:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1. The Utah implantation was premature.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α⊃The␈α⊃further␈α⊃implantation␈α⊃of␈α⊃arti≡cial␈α⊃hearts␈α⊃should␈α⊃be␈α⊃delayed␈α⊃until␈α⊃issues␈α⊃of␈α⊂social
␈↓ ↓H␈↓desirability have been settled.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈α∪The␈α∪Utah␈α∪arti≡cial␈α∪heart␈α∪is␈α∀already␈α∪a␈α∪great␈α∪"technological␈α∪and␈α∪moral␈α∀victory".␈α∪ Its
␈↓ ↓H␈↓possibilities should be exploited as rapidly as feasible.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∩am␈α∩agreeable␈α∩to␈α∩either␈α∩a␈α∪positive␈α∩or␈α∩negative␈α∩formulation␈α∩of␈α∩the␈α∩issue␈α∪according␈α∩to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Bernstein's preference though I prefer a positive formulation as in 3 above.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞sent␈α
Bernstein␈α∞a␈α
copy␈α∞of␈α
my␈α∞letter␈α
to␈α∞the␈α
␈↓↓Daily␈↓␈α∞and␈α
received␈α∞a␈α
reply␈α∞to␈α
the␈α∞e≥ect␈α∞that␈α
I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓shouldn't␈α∩make␈α∩innuendoes␈α∩without␈α∩having␈α∩read␈α∩his␈α∩work␈α∩but␈α∩that␈α∩we␈α∩would␈α∩still␈α∩probably
␈↓ ↓H␈↓disagree.␈α I␈αcan␈αsee␈αsome␈αjustice␈αin␈αhis␈αcomplaint␈αabout␈αthe␈α␈↓↓Daily␈↓␈αletter␈αand␈αwould␈αnot␈αbe␈α
inclined
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α
speculate␈α
about␈α
what␈α
he␈α
would␈α
do␈α
as␈α
FDA␈α
Commissioner␈α
in␈α
the␈α
debate␈α
-␈α
especially␈α
since␈α
I␈α
could
␈↓ ↓H␈↓just ask him.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α
may␈αtake␈α
the␈αoccasion␈α
to␈α
argue␈αthat␈α
technology␈αassessment␈α
has␈α
often␈αdone␈α
more␈αharm␈α
than
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αProfessor Jim Adams␈↓ ¬hMarch 31, 1983␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓good.␈α
 It␈αsubstitutes␈α
speculation␈αwhere␈α
experiment␈αis␈α
appropriate,␈αand␈α
the␈αspeculators␈α
tend␈αto␈α
have
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a negative bias.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I haven't sent a copy to Bernstein, because I am expecting you to introduce the matter.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science