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STANFORD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
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␈↓ ∧αDEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
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␈↓ ¬	STANFORD UNIVERSITY
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␈↓ ∧;STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
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␈↓
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSeptember 20, 1974
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Editor, Magazine Section
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␈↓↓The New York Times␈↓
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229 West 43rd Street
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New York, New York 10036
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To the Editor:
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␈↓ α_Fletcher␈α∞Knebel's␈α
"The␈α
Greening␈α
of␈α
Fletcher␈α
Knebel"␈α
(Sept.␈α
15)␈α
leaves␈α
this␈α
technologist␈α
with
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈αfeeling␈αthat␈αI␈αam␈αbeing␈αset␈αup␈αfor␈αa␈αlynching␈αby␈αa␈αrabble␈αrousing␈αpolitician.␈αMaybe␈αit's␈αjust␈αthat
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Htechnologists␈α
are␈α
inarticulate␈α(we␈αhave␈αthat␈αreputation)␈αor␈αthat,␈αas␈αa␈αpolitical␈αjournalist,␈αKnebel␈αhas
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␈↓ ↓Hlearned␈αhow␈αto␈αdo␈αa␈αhatchet␈αjob␈αfrom␈αthe␈αpoliticians,␈αbut␈αI␈α
sat␈α
for␈α
a␈α
long␈α
time␈α
trying␈α
to␈α
complete␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hsentence,␈α∞"Our␈α∞vaunted␈α∞technology␈α
has␈α
␈↓↓not␈↓␈α
become␈α
a␈α
blasphemy␈α
against␈α
nature,␈α
because␈α
..."␈α
in␈α
200
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hwords␈α∪or␈α∪less.␈α∪I␈α∪have␈α∪not␈α∪the␈α∪slightest␈α∪idea␈α∪what␈α∪would␈α∪have␈α∪to␈α∪be␈α∪proved␈α∪to␈α∩exonerate␈α∩us
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␈↓ ↓Htechnologists,␈α∞anymore␈α∞than␈α∞some␈α∞poor␈α∞Russian␈α∞in␈α∞the␈α∞␈↓↓Gulag␈α∞Archipelago␈↓␈α
could␈α
figure␈α
out␈α
how␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hprove␈α
he␈α
was␈α
not␈α
an␈α
"enemy␈α
of␈α
the␈α
people".
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␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_Let␈α
me␈α
mention␈α
a␈α
few␈α
specific␈α
points␈α
that␈α
make␈α
me␈α
unhappy:
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␈↓ α_1.␈α⊂His␈α⊂recollection␈α⊂of␈α⊂"EXPANSION␈α⊂FOREVER"␈α⊂does␈α∂not␈α∂match␈α∂my␈α∂recollection␈α∂of␈α∂what
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Heven␈α
the␈α
politicians␈α
said␈α
in␈α
the␈α
1950s,␈α
let␈α
alone␈α
the␈α
what␈α
technologists␈α
said.␈α
When␈α
my␈α
high␈αschool
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␈↓ ↓HEnglish␈αteacher␈αtaught␈αus␈αhow␈αto␈αrecognize␈αpropaganda,␈αshe␈αsaid␈αsomething␈αabout␈αsetting␈αup␈αstraw
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␈↓ ↓Hmen␈α∩that␈α∩seems␈α∩to␈α∩apply␈α∩here.␈α∩I␈α⊃am␈α⊃sure,␈α⊃however,␈α⊃that␈α⊃no-one␈α⊃who␈α⊃has␈α⊃ever␈α⊃argued␈α⊃for␈α⊃the
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␈↓ ↓Hautomobile,␈α∩work,␈α∩or␈α∩competition␈α∩would␈α⊃regard␈α⊃Knebel's␈α⊃summary␈α⊃of␈α⊃his␈α⊃views␈α⊃as␈α⊃fair.␈α⊃Maybe
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␈↓ ↓Hfairness␈α
is␈α
another␈α
value␈α
that␈α
has␈α
been␈α
greened␈α
away.
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␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_2.␈α∂"25␈α∂tons␈α∂of␈α∂irreplacable␈α∂ores␈α∂must␈α∂be␈α∂extracted␈α∞from␈α∞the␈α∞ground␈α∞each␈α∞year␈α∞to␈α∞keep␈α∞each
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␈↓ ↓HAmerican␈α⊃going␈α⊃in␈α⊃the␈α⊃style␈α⊂to␈α⊂which␈α⊂he's␈α⊂accustomed."␈α⊂Knebel␈α⊂seems␈α⊂to␈α⊂think␈α⊂that's␈α⊂a␈α⊂lot,␈α⊂but
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␈↓ ↓Hprovides␈αno␈αbasis␈αfor␈αbelieving␈αthat␈αor␈αcalculating␈αhow␈αlong␈αwe␈αcan␈αgo␈αon␈α
this␈α
way.␈α
If␈α
we␈α
divide␈α
the
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␈↓ ↓Hmass␈αof␈αthe␈αearth␈αby␈αthe␈αworld's␈αpopulation␈αwe␈αget␈αabout␈αone␈αtrillion␈αtons␈αper␈αperson,␈α
so␈α
at␈α
Knebel's
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␈↓ ↓Hrate␈α⊂we␈α⊂could␈α⊂go␈α⊂on␈α⊂for␈α⊂40␈α⊂billion␈α⊂years,␈α⊂and␈α⊂we␈α⊂know␈α⊂the␈α∂sun␈α∂won't␈α∂last␈α∂that␈α∂long,␈α∂and␈α∂that's
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␈↓ ↓Hwithout␈α⊂any␈α⊂recycling.␈α∂Actually,␈α∂this␈α∂calculation␈α∂isn't␈α∂conclusive␈α∂either,␈α∂and␈α∂no-one␈α∂really␈α∂has␈α∂full
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␈↓ ↓Hpicture␈αof␈αhow␈αlow␈αgrade␈αores␈α
we␈α
can␈α
use.␈α
There␈α
is␈α
not␈α
space␈α
to␈α
cite␈α
my␈α
reasons␈α
for␈α
not␈α
believing␈α
the
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␈↓ ↓HClub␈α
of␈α
Rome␈α
and␈α
other␈α
arguments␈αthat␈αwe␈αface␈αimpending␈αdisaster,␈αbut␈αthen␈αKnebel␈αdoesn't␈αgive
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␈↓ ↓Harguments␈α⊂for␈α⊂his␈α⊂doomsaying.␈α⊂He␈α∂just␈α∂relies␈α∂on␈α∂the␈α∂idea␈α∂that␈α∂if␈α∂the␈α∂charges␈α∂are␈α∂repeated␈α∂often
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Henough␈α
some␈α
people␈α
will␈α
believe␈α
them.
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␈↓ α_3.␈α∂That␈α∂Knebel␈α∂rejects␈α∂␈↓↓rationality␈↓␈α∂just␈α∞because␈α∞the␈α∞people␈α∞who␈α∞conducted␈α∞the␈α∞Vietnam␈α∞war
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␈↓ ↓Hthought␈αthey␈αwere␈α
doing␈α
the␈α
rational␈α
thing,␈α
seems␈α
unbelievable,␈α
and␈α
I␈α
guess␈α
I␈α
don't␈α
believe␈α
it.␈α
Rather
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␈↓ ↓Hit␈αresembles␈αthe␈αStalinist␈αcampaign␈αagainst␈α␈↓↓bourgeois␈αobjectivity␈↓␈αin␈αthe␈α1930s.␈αThere␈αit␈αserved␈αthe␈αrole
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␈↓ ↓Hof␈αsubstituting␈αauthority␈αfor␈αreason,␈αand␈αhere␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈α
serve␈α
the␈α
purpose␈α
of␈α
substituting␈α
an␈α
appeal
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hto␈α
prejudice␈α
for␈α
reason.
␈↓ ↓H

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␈↓ α_4.␈αThe␈αprejudice␈αKnebel␈αappeals␈αto␈αis␈αthat␈αagainst␈αmachinery␈αand␈αpeople␈αwho␈αlike␈α
machinery.
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␈↓ ↓HIt␈α
gives␈α
me␈α
pleasure␈α
when␈α
after␈α
much␈α
tinkering,␈α
I␈αhave␈αgotten␈αa␈αcomplicated␈αcomputer␈αprogram␈αto
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hwork,␈α
and␈α
I␈α
also␈αadmire␈αand␈αget␈αpleasure␈αfrom␈αother␈αpeople's␈αaccomplishments␈αlike␈αthe␈αBoeing␈α747
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hor␈αthe␈αPolaroid␈α
SX-70␈α
camera␈α
or␈α
the␈α
Hewlett-Packard␈α
calculators␈α
or␈α
the␈α
Mazda␈α
version␈α
of␈α
the␈α
rotary
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hengine␈αor␈αthe␈αApollo␈αlunar␈αmodule.␈αIt␈αsurprises␈αme␈αthat␈αKnebel␈αis␈αrepelled␈αby␈αthese␈αthings␈αand␈αcan
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Honly␈α∞think␈α∞of␈α∞how␈α∞they␈α∞can␈α
lead␈α
to␈α
harm.␈α
He␈α
has␈α
a␈α
right␈α
to␈α
his␈α
personal␈α
tastes,␈α
but␈α
why␈α
must␈α
he
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hincite␈α
hatred␈α
by␈α
calling␈α
technology␈α
a␈α
"blasphemy␈α
against␈α
nature"?
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␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xJohn McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xComputer Science Dept.
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xStanford, California
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H