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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
¬March 11, 1981 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Stanley Schmidt, Editor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Analog Science Fiction
␈↓ ↓H␈↓380 Lexington Ave.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New York, N.Y. 10017

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Stan:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Technology␈α
presents␈α∞us␈α
with␈α∞many␈α
unprecedented␈α
opportunities␈α∞and␈α
problems␈α∞with␈α
which
␈↓ ↓H␈↓we␈α
have␈α
no␈α
experience,␈α
but␈α
we␈α
have␈α
plenty␈αof␈α
experience␈α
with␈α
the␈α
problem␈α
of␈α
"what␈α
to␈α
do␈αwith␈α
all
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the free time".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        During␈αmost␈αof␈αrecorded␈αhistory,␈αmost␈αcountries␈αhave␈αhad␈αsubstantial␈αleisure␈αclasses,␈αwhose
␈↓ ↓H␈↓members␈α↔didn't␈α↔work.␈α↔ Our␈α↔own␈α↔situation␈α↔wherein␈α↔almost␈α↔everyone␈α↔works␈α↔for␈α_money␈α↔is
␈↓ ↓H␈↓exceptional.␈α
 The␈αidle␈α
rich␈α
often␈αget␈α
into␈α
trouble␈αof␈α
one␈α
kind␈αor␈α
another,␈α
but␈αthey␈α
don't␈α
seem␈αto␈α
be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓much␈αmore␈αquarrelsome␈αthan␈αthe␈αlower␈αclasses␈αof␈αthe␈αsame␈αsociety.␈α Judging␈αfrom␈αliterature,␈αthey
␈↓ ↓H␈↓complain a lot, but they prefer being rich to being poor.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α∞could␈α∞be␈α
argued␈α∞that␈α∞machine␈α
based␈α∞leisure␈α∞will␈α
be␈α∞di≥erent␈α∞and␈α
that␈α∞the␈α∞older␈α
leisure
␈↓ ↓H␈↓classes␈α∂obtained␈α∂a␈α∂psychological␈α∂bene≡t␈α∂from␈α∂existence␈α∂of␈α∂lower␈α∂classes,␈α∂but␈α∂actually␈α∂one␈α∂of␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓main␈α∂complaints␈α∂about␈α∂them␈α∂was␈α⊂that␈α∂they␈α∂tended␈α∂to␈α∂regard␈α⊂everyone␈α∂else␈α∂as␈α∂just␈α∂part␈α⊂of␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓machinery.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αprima␈αfacie␈αassumption␈αshould␈αbe␈αthat␈αmass␈αleisure␈αwill␈αbe␈αrather␈αlike␈αeveryone␈αbeing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓rich.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈αPerhaps␈αthis␈αstate␈α
of␈αa≥airs␈αis␈αfarther␈α
in␈αthe␈αfuture␈αthan␈α
most␈αpeople␈αthink.␈α Right␈α
now␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓rich␈αaren't␈αa␈αwhole␈αlot␈αbetter␈αo≥␈αthan␈αthe␈αupper␈αmiddle␈αclass,␈αbut␈αconsider␈αwhat␈αwill␈αhappen␈αif␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓$100,000␈αgoodie␈αis␈αinvented␈αthat␈αeveryone␈αwill␈αwant␈αas␈αmuch␈αas␈αpeople␈αwanted␈αautomobiles␈αwhen
␈↓ ↓H␈↓they␈α
were␈α
invented␈α
and␈α
were␈αtoo␈α
expensive␈α
for␈α
the␈α
masses.␈α
 All␈αof␈α
a␈α
sudden␈α
there␈α
will␈α
be␈αa␈α
rebirth
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈αintense␈αeconomic␈αambition.␈α Possibilities␈αinclude␈αlife␈αextending␈αgadgetry,␈αhousehold␈αrobots,␈αand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∨ying machines usable like cars.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. Stanley Schmidt␈↓ ¬jMarch 11, 1981␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.P.S.␈α∞Rudy␈α
Rucker's␈α∞seems␈α
to␈α∞misunderstand␈α
the␈α∞quantum␈α
mechanical␈α∞notion␈α
of␈α∞a␈α∞mixed␈α
state.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Giving a character a Rumanian ≡rst name and a Czech last name doesn't make him a Hungarian.