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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊃April 25, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓Datamation␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓1801 La Cienega Blvd.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ Los Angeles CA 90035

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Joseph␈α⊗ Weizenbaum's␈α∃ ␈↓↓Computer␈α⊗ Power␈α∃ and␈α⊗ Human␈α∃ Reason␈↓␈α⊗brings␈α⊗ to␈α∃computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓science␈α
a␈α new␈α
method␈α
of␈α proof␈α
-␈α calling␈α
ideas␈α
obscene.␈α Daniel␈α
McCracken␈α
(April␈α␈↓↓Datamation␈↓)
␈↓ ↓H␈↓approvingly␈αquotes,␈α
␈↓↓"The␈αvery␈α
asking␈α of␈α
the␈αquestion,␈α'What␈α
does␈αa␈α
 judge␈αknow␈α
that␈αwe␈αcannot␈α
tell
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓a␈α
computer?'␈αis␈α
a␈αmonstrous␈α
obscenity.␈α That␈α
it␈αhas␈α
to␈α
be␈αput␈α
into␈αprint␈α
at␈αall␈α
even␈αfor␈α
the␈αpurpose␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓exposing its morbidity, is a sign of the madness of our times"␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈αwhen␈α
Weizenbaum␈α complains␈α
that␈αcoupling␈α
an␈αanimal's␈α
visual␈αsystem␈αand␈α
 brain
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈αa␈α computer␈αis␈α␈↓↓"simply␈α obscene.␈α  [The␈αidea␈αis␈αone]␈αwhose␈αvery␈αcontemplation␈αought␈α to␈αgive␈αrise
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓to␈α
feelings␈α
of␈α
 disgust␈α∞in␈α
every␈α
 civilized␈α
person."␈↓,␈α
McCracken,␈α∞ who␈α
sees␈α
some␈α
good␈α
in␈α∞the␈α
 idea,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mildly␈α⊂says␈α⊃he␈α⊂ wishes␈α⊂Weizenbaum␈α⊃would␈α⊂ elaborate␈α⊂his␈α⊃objections.␈α⊂ This␈α⊃seems␈α⊂inconsistent,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓because␈αboth␈α
Weizenbaum␈αand␈α
McCracken␈α call␈α
 ideas␈α obscene␈α
precisely␈α when␈α
 they␈α don't␈α
 wish
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈αelaborate␈αtheir␈αobjections.␈α  It's␈α
 bad␈αsign␈αof␈α our␈αtimes␈α
that␈α this␈αstyle␈αmeets␈αno␈αobjections␈α
from
␈↓ ↓H␈↓reviewers - not to mention editors.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α⊂McCracken␈α∂conjectures,␈α⊂ some␈α∂display␈α⊂terminals␈α∂at␈α⊂ AI␈α∂Labs␈α⊂have␈α∂ been␈α⊂ busy␈α∂ with
␈↓ ↓H␈↓refutations,␈α∞ mine␈α∞ included.␈α
   I␈α∞ am␈α∞ sorry␈α
Weizenbaum␈α∞ has␈α∞ made␈α
 him␈α∞hate␈α∞ us␈α∞ enough␈α
 to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓enjoy␈α
imagining␈α
 us␈α
gnashing␈α∞our␈α
teeth,␈α
but␈α
this␈α∞is␈α
not␈α
 why␈α
I␈α∞write␈α
now.␈α
 My␈α
problem␈α∞ is␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Weizenbaum␈α "quotes"␈α me␈α twice␈αfrom␈α oral␈α debates,␈α McCracken␈αrepeats␈α ⊗both␈α"quotes",␈αand␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓can't␈α∪con≡rm␈α∪either␈α∪ one.␈α∪ The␈α∪≡rst␈α∪doesn't␈α∩bother␈α∪me,␈α∪ because␈α∪I␈α∪do␈α∪believe␈α∪ that␈α∪we␈α∩will
␈↓ ↓H␈↓eventually␈α∞ be␈α∞able␈α∞to␈α∞tell␈α∞a␈α∞computer␈α∞what␈α∞ a␈α
judge␈α∞knows.␈α∞ It␈α∞won't␈α∞be␈α∞soon␈α∞and␈α∞we␈α∞may␈α
not
␈↓ ↓H␈↓want␈αto␈α use␈αcomputers␈α as␈α judges,␈αbut␈α my␈αopinion␈α on␈α the␈αscienti≡c␈αissue␈α (and␈αI␈αtrust␈α that␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓Datamation␈↓'s  readers) is not in∨uenced by the silly charge of having obscene ideas.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α∂other␈α∞ requote,␈α∂ ␈↓↓"The␈α∂ only␈α∞ reason␈α∂ we␈α∞ have␈α∂ not␈α∂ yet␈α∞succeeded␈α∂in␈α∂ simulating␈α∞every
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓aspect␈α of␈αthe␈αworld␈α is␈αthat␈α we␈αhave␈αbeen␈α  lacking␈α a␈α su≠ciently␈α powerful␈α  logical␈α calculus."␈↓␈α is
␈↓ ↓H␈↓allegedly␈αfrom␈αthe␈αBBC␈αdebate␈α
with␈αLighthill,␈αbut␈αno-one␈αcan␈α
 ≡nd␈αit␈αon␈αeither␈αthe␈αvideo-tape␈α
 or
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈αaudio-tape.␈α I␈α fear␈αWeizenbaum␈αmade␈αit␈α up,␈α since␈α  it␈α re∨ects␈α the␈α confusion␈α in␈α his␈α
 book
␈↓ ↓H␈↓between␈α
formalization␈α
and␈α
simulation␈αthat␈α
I␈α
began␈α
disputing␈αin␈α
my␈α
 1959␈α
paper␈α
"␈↓↓Programs␈αwith
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓Common␈α∂ Sense␈↓".␈α∂ We␈α⊂need␈α∂powerful␈α∂ logical␈α∂calculi␈α⊂and␈α∂ a␈α∂description␈α∂ of␈α⊂the␈α∂ common¬sense
␈↓ ↓H␈↓world␈αusing␈α these␈αcalculi,␈αbecause␈αfull␈α simulation␈αis␈α usually␈αimpossible␈αand␈αwouldn't␈αusually␈αtell
␈↓ ↓H␈↓what␈α
 a␈α
 robot␈α
needs␈α
 to␈α
 know␈α
 anyway.␈α   We␈α
use␈α
 the␈α
 law␈α
 of␈α
conservation␈α
of␈α
energy␈αeven␈α
when
␈↓ ↓H␈↓we␈αknow␈αthe␈αprecise␈αlaws␈α
of␈αmotion␈α-␈αand␈αeven␈αmore␈α
when␈α we␈αdon't.␈α I␈α thought␈αperhaps␈α
I␈αhad
␈↓ ↓H␈↓misspoken in rapid dialog, but it just isn't on the tape.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Maybe␈α↔  I␈α⊗ shouldn't␈α↔ complain␈α⊗  about␈α↔ having␈α⊗  my␈α↔ research␈α↔misrepresented;␈α⊗such
␈↓ ↓H␈↓distinctions␈αmay␈αbe␈α
mere␈αpedantry␈αto␈αa␈α
practical␈αprofessor␈αwho␈αcan␈α
say,␈α␈↓↓"Scientists␈αwho␈αcontinue␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓prattle␈α
on␈αabout␈α
'knowledge␈α
for␈α its␈α
own␈αsake'␈α
 in␈α
order␈α to␈α
exploit␈α
 that␈αslogan␈α
 for␈αtheir␈α
self-serving
␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓ends have detached  science and knowledge from any contact with the real world"␈↓.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓↓Datamation␈↓␈↓ ¬kApril 25, 1976␈↓ 
pPage 2␈↓↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Let␈α∞ McCracken␈α∞ beware␈α∞ lest␈α∞ his␈α∞ next␈α
 book␈α∞ be␈α∞ banned␈α∞ in␈α∞Poughkeepsie␈α∞for␈α
obscene
␈↓ ↓H␈↓COBOL programs.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Yours for precision in language.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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