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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
≤May 27, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Hubert E. Feichtlbauer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓4601 North Park Ave, Apt. 611
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Chevy Chase, Md. 20015

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Feichtlbauer:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thank␈α∞you␈α
for␈α∞your␈α∞interest␈α
in␈α∞the␈α∞ideas␈α
expressed␈α∞in␈α∞my␈α
review␈α∞of␈α∞Weizenbaum's␈α
book.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Here is a try at answering your questions:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈αI␈αmust␈αadmit␈αthat␈αmy␈αimpression␈αhere␈αis␈αa␈αbit␈αsubjective␈αthough␈αbased␈αon␈αmore␈αthan␈α10
␈↓ ↓H␈↓visits␈α∂to␈α⊂the␈α∂Soviet␈α⊂Union␈α∂since␈α∂1965.␈α⊂ Here␈α∂is␈α⊂some␈α∂anecdotal␈α∂evidence.␈α⊂ While␈α∂in␈α⊂the␈α∂Soviet
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Union,␈αI␈αwas␈α
invited␈αto␈αgive␈α
a␈αlecture␈αat␈αthe␈α
Moscow␈αInstitute␈αof␈α
Problems␈αof␈αControl.␈α
 I␈αo≥ered
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∞title␈α∂␈↓↓Some␈α∞Philosophical␈α∂Problems␈α∞from␈α∂the␈α∞Standpoint␈α∂of␈α∞Arti≡cial␈α∂Intelligence␈↓,␈α∞but␈α∂my␈α∞host
␈↓ ↓H␈↓said␈αthat␈αthe␈αword␈α"philosophical"␈αmight␈αlead␈αto␈αdi≠culties␈αand␈αretitled␈αthe␈αlecture␈αsomething␈αlike
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓Recent␈α⊃work␈α⊂on␈α⊃arti≡cial␈α⊂intelligence␈α⊃at␈α⊂Stanford␈↓␈α⊃but␈α⊂when␈α⊃he␈α⊂introduced␈α⊃me,␈α⊃announced␈α⊂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓original␈α⊂title␈α⊂to␈α⊂the␈α⊂audience␈α⊂with␈α⊂the␈α⊂remark␈α⊂that␈α⊂he␈α⊂had␈α⊂changed␈α⊂it␈α⊂because␈α⊂otherwise␈α∂"the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓wrong people would come to the lecture".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        More␈αindicative␈αthan␈αthat,␈αin␈αthe␈αlast␈αfew␈αyears␈αthere␈αhave␈αbeen␈αRussian␈αtheoretical␈αpapers
␈↓ ↓H␈↓on␈αAI␈αwith␈αextensive␈αreferences␈αto␈αrecent␈αWestern␈αphilosophical␈αliterature,␈αespecially␈αthe␈αso-called
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓analytic␈αphilosophy␈↓.␈α These␈αreferences␈αare␈αnot␈αthe␈αusual␈α␈↓↓philosophy␈αof␈αscience␈↓␈αreferences␈αwhich␈αcan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be␈α
excised␈αwithout␈α
much␈α
damage␈αto␈α
the␈αtechnical␈α
content␈α
of␈αthe␈α
paper␈α
but␈αrather␈α
are␈αso␈α
imbedded
␈↓ ↓H␈↓in␈α⊃the␈α⊃basic␈α⊃framework␈α⊃of␈α∩the␈α⊃paper␈α⊃that␈α⊃it␈α⊃is␈α∩clear␈α⊃that␈α⊃the␈α⊃analytic␈α⊃philosophy␈α∩cannot␈α⊃be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓suppressed␈αwithout␈αjeopardizing␈αthe␈αability␈αto␈αsolve␈αscienti≡c␈αand␈αengineering␈αproblems.␈α I␈αenclose
␈↓ ↓H␈↓two papers that illustrate how technology and philosophy are becoming closely linked.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2. I enclose a paper on home terminals.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈α
This␈α
question␈α∞is␈α
the␈α
hardest.␈α∞ The␈α
option␈α
most␈α∞likely␈α
to␈α
be␈α∞attractive␈α
seems␈α
to␈α∞be␈α
some
␈↓ ↓H␈↓kind␈α∂of␈α∂merger␈α∞of␈α∂human␈α∂and␈α∂arti≡cial␈α∞intelligence.␈α∂ Another␈α∂possibility␈α∞is␈α∂the␈α∂ability␈α∂to␈α∞move
␈↓ ↓H␈↓one's␈α
personality␈α
into␈α
a␈α
machine␈α
and␈α
thus␈αachieve␈α
some␈α
kind␈α
of␈α
immortality.␈α
 Let␈α
me␈αemphasize
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αwhen␈αpeople␈αactually␈αface␈αthese␈αoptions,␈αthey␈αwill␈αhave␈αlittle␈αinterest␈αin␈αwhat␈αwe,␈αwho␈αdo␈αnot
␈↓ ↓H␈↓face␈αthem,␈αwould␈α
think␈αthey␈αshould␈αdo.␈α
 Likewise␈αwe␈αrarely␈α
ponder␈αwhat␈αCro-Magnon␈αman␈α
would
␈↓ ↓H␈↓think we should do about higher education.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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