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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Department of Computer Science, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	SNovember 16, 1982 





␈↓ ↓H␈↓To the Editor of the Stanford Daily:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈αNovember␈α16␈αarticle␈α"DoD␈αfunds␈αComp␈αSci"␈αcorrectly␈αstates␈αthat␈αthe␈αComputer␈αScience
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Department␈α∞receives␈α
a␈α∞substantial␈α∞part␈α
of␈α∞its␈α
research␈α∞funding␈α∞from␈α
the␈α∞Department␈α∞of␈α
Defense
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈αreports␈αthat␈αCS␈αgraduate␈αstudent␈αJerry␈αPlotnick␈α≡nds␈αthis␈α"intellectually␈αdishonest".␈α Plotnick
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α
reported␈α
as␈α
saying␈α
"The␈α
University␈α
has␈α
pandered␈α
to␈α
DoD␈α
in␈α
order␈α
to␈α
grow,␈α
to␈α
take␈αadvantage␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓government sponsorship".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        No␈αargument␈αis␈αo≥ered␈αin␈αthe␈αarticle␈αthat␈αit␈αis␈αwrong␈αfor␈αUniversity␈αfaculty␈αand␈αstudents␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓take␈α⊂part␈α⊃in␈α⊂research␈α⊂with␈α⊃military␈α⊂applications␈α⊂or␈α⊃supported␈α⊂by␈α⊂DoD.␈α⊃ Nor␈α⊂is␈α⊃any␈α⊂argument
␈↓ ↓H␈↓o≥ered that the faculty and students of Computer Science generally think it is wrong.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α⊃seems␈α⊂to␈α⊃me␈α⊂that␈α⊃the␈α⊂use␈α⊃of␈α⊂"pandered"␈α⊃and␈α⊂"intellectually␈α⊃dishonest"␈α⊃is␈α⊂intellectually
␈↓ ↓H␈↓dishonest.␈α∞ It␈α
suggests,␈α∞without␈α∞saying␈α
so␈α∞explicitly,␈α
that␈α∞any␈α∞correct␈α
thinking␈α∞person␈α∞regards␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓activities␈α∞of␈α
DoD␈α∞as␈α∞undesirable␈α
and␈α∞opposes␈α
improving␈α∞U.S.␈α∞military␈α
technology.␈α∞ The␈α∞tactic␈α
is
␈↓ ↓H␈↓particulary␈αdishonest␈αand␈αparticularly␈αe≥ective␈αin␈αa␈αgeneral␈αstudent␈αnewspaper.␈α Students␈αcome␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Stanford␈αeager␈αto␈αtake␈αpart␈αin␈αthe␈αstudent␈αcommunity␈αand␈αto␈αconform␈αto␈αits␈αopinions.␈α Suggesting
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αno-one␈αwould␈αdo␈αresearch␈αsupported␈αby␈αDoD␈αexcept␈αfor␈αdishonest␈αmotives␈α
prevents␈αstudents
␈↓ ↓H␈↓fearful of seeming peculiar to their fellow students from expressing contrary ideas.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α
has␈α∞always␈α
seemed␈α∞to␈α
me␈α∞that␈α
the␈α∞main␈α
force␈α∞for␈α
conformity␈α∞among␈α
students␈α∞is␈α
student
␈↓ ↓H␈↓opinion.␈α∃ This␈α∃was␈α⊗true␈α∃in␈α∃the␈α⊗50s␈α∃when␈α∃student␈α∃political␈α⊗opinion␈α∃was␈α∃aligned␈α⊗with␈α∃the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓government,␈α∂and␈α∞it␈α∂has␈α∞been␈α∂true␈α∂since␈α∞the␈α∂1960s␈α∞when␈α∂such␈α∞opinions␈α∂oppose␈α∂the␈α∞govenrment.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Students␈α∞who␈α∞take␈α∞seriously␈α∞the␈α∞idea␈α∞that␈α∞a␈α∞university␈α∞is␈α∞a␈α∞place␈α∞for␈α∞challenging␈α∞received␈α
ideas
␈↓ ↓H␈↓should be aware that it is also necessary to question the general opinion of students.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Returning␈α⊃to␈α⊃DoD␈α⊃support␈α⊃of␈α∩computer␈α⊃science␈α⊃research,␈α⊃I␈α⊃believe␈α⊃that␈α∩attitudes␈α⊃di≥er.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Some␈αwon't␈αaccept␈αit.␈α Some␈αavoid␈αit␈αif␈α
they␈αcan,␈αbut␈αaccept␈αit␈αwhen␈αthey␈αcan't␈αget␈α
other␈αsupport.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Some␈αbelieve␈αthat␈αbasic␈αresearch␈αis␈αimportant,␈αand␈αthat␈αit␈αis␈αso␈αdi≠cult␈αto␈αpredict␈αthe␈αapplications
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈αparticular␈αresearch␈αthat␈αarguments␈αabout␈αit␈αare␈αnecessarily␈αinconclusive.␈α Still␈αothers,␈αincluding
␈↓ ↓H␈↓myself,␈α⊂hope␈α⊂that␈α⊂the␈α⊂Defense␈α⊂Department␈α⊂will␈α⊂eventually␈α⊂get␈α⊂good␈α⊂value␈α⊂for␈α⊂its␈α⊂money,␈α⊂even
␈↓ ↓H␈↓though the applications of speci≡c basic research won't be known.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Of␈α
these␈α
attitudes,␈α
the␈α
only␈α
ones␈α
who␈α
might␈α
be␈α
called␈α
"intellectually␈α
dishonest"␈α
are␈α
those␈α
who
␈↓ ↓H␈↓profess␈α∞strong␈α∞opposition␈α∞to␈α∞DoD␈α∞applications␈α∞here␈α∞at␈α∞Stanford,␈α∞but␈α∞advertise␈α∞such␈α∞applications
␈↓ ↓H␈↓when talking to potential sponsors.  I don't know of any such people, but they may exist.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        To␈α⊂sharpen␈α⊂the␈α⊂issues␈α⊂and␈α⊂provide␈α⊂food␈α⊂for␈α⊂thought,␈α⊂let␈α⊂me␈α⊂take␈α⊂advantage␈α⊂of␈α⊂the␈α⊂co-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓incidence␈αthat␈αwhile␈αI␈α
was␈αwriting␈αthis␈αletter,␈αI␈α
received␈αa␈αphone␈αcall␈α
inviting␈αme␈αto␈αgive␈αa␈α
general
␈↓ ↓H␈↓paper␈αon␈αarti≡cial␈α
intelligence␈αat␈αthe␈α
"Army␈αconference␈αon␈α
applications␈αof␈αarti≡cial␈α
intelligence␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓battle≡eld␈α
information␈αmanagement".␈α
 This␈α
is␈αthe␈α
≡rst␈α
time␈αin␈α
twenty␈α
years␈αat␈α
Stanford␈α
that␈αI␈α
have
␈↓ ↓H␈↓received␈α
such␈αan␈α
invitation,␈α
and␈αI've␈α
never␈α
been␈αto␈α
such␈α
a␈αconference.␈α
 I␈α
intend␈αto␈α
accept,␈α
and␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓hope my talk will be useful.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ ¬ONovember 16, 1982␈↓ 
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␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science