/FONT#0=BASL30/FONT#1=BASI30/FONT#2=NGR40
␈↓␈↓↓␈↓α␈↓α␈↓ β
STANFORD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ∧αDEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ¬	STANFORD UNIVERSITY
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ∧;STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSeptember 19, 1974
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Professor Murray Gell-Mann
␈↓ ↓H
Department of Physics
␈↓ ↓H
California Institute of Technology
␈↓ ↓H
Pasadena, California 91109
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Dear Murray:
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_I␈α
found␈α
our␈α
telephone␈α
conversation␈α
quite␈α
stimulating␈α
and␈α
have␈α
the␈α
following␈α
remarks:
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_1.␈αIt␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthere␈αare␈αtwo␈αsources␈αof␈αdiversity␈αin␈αways␈αof␈αlife:␈αdiversity␈αarising␈αfrom
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈αforce␈αof␈αdiverse␈αmaterial␈αcircumstances,␈αand␈αdiversity␈αstemming␈α
from␈α
individual␈α
inclinations␈α
and
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈αinfluence␈αof␈αdiverse␈αideas.␈αThe␈αformer␈αis␈αon␈αits␈αway␈αdown␈αas␈αmaterial␈αcircumstance␈αbecomes␈αless
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hrestricting.␈α(When␈αI␈αsaw␈αan␈αEskimo␈αcarry␈α
a␈α
watermelon␈α
out␈α
of␈α
the␈α
general␈α
store␈α
in␈α
Barrow,␈α
Alaska,␈α
it
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Himmediately␈αcame␈αinto␈αmy␈αmind␈αto␈αbuy␈αanother␈αand␈αoffer␈αit␈αto␈αsome␈αEskimo␈αchildren␈αif␈αthey␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hlet␈αme␈α
photograph␈α
them␈α
sitting␈α
on␈α
the␈α
pack␈α
ice␈α
eating␈α
it␈α
in␈α
the␈α
classical␈α
pickaninny␈α
style,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
feared
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HI␈α∞couldn't␈α∞carry␈α∞it␈α∞off␈α∞without␈α∞giving␈α∞offence␈α∞to␈α∞someone).␈α∞The␈α∞latter␈α∞should␈α∞be␈α∞on␈α∞its␈α∞way␈α∞up␈α∞as
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hmore␈α
people␈α
have␈α
more␈α
options,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
couldn't␈α
prove␈α
it.
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_2.␈αI␈αhave␈αnot␈αmet␈αDyson␈αand␈αhave␈αread␈αonly␈α
a␈α
few␈α
of␈α
his␈α
things,␈α
but␈α
I␈α
imagine␈α
you␈α
do␈α
him␈α
an
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hinjustice.␈α⊂I␈α⊂have␈α⊂met␈α⊂O'Neill,␈α⊂and␈α⊂my␈α⊂complaint␈α⊂about␈α⊂him␈α⊂is␈α⊂that␈α⊂along␈α∂with␈α∂his␈α∂technological
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hfantasy␈α
that␈αinvolves␈αtoo␈αmuch␈αwishful␈αthinking,␈αhe␈αshares␈αthe␈αwidespread␈αnostalgia␈αfor␈αthe␈αsimple
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hrural␈αlife.␈αIt␈αseems␈αthat␈αhe␈αenvisions␈αpeople␈αmaking␈αan␈αenormously␈αsophisticated␈αtechnological␈αeffort
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hin␈α
order␈α
to␈α
live␈α
like␈α
peasants.
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_3.␈α∩Quite␈α∩clearly␈α∩my␈α∩worries␈α∩and␈α∩fantasies␈α∩are␈α∩different␈α∩from␈α∩yours.␈α⊃My␈α⊃hope␈α⊃is␈α⊃that␈α⊃an
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Himproved␈αtechnology␈αaimed␈αat␈αaiding␈αhuman␈αindividuality␈αwill␈αlead␈αto␈αmore␈αinteresting␈αand␈αvaried
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hlives.␈αSome␈αideas␈αfor␈αthis␈αare␈αexpressed␈αin␈αsome␈αof␈αthe␈αessays␈αthat␈α
are␈α
enclosed.␈α
My␈α
worry␈α
is␈α
that␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hcurrent␈α→pessimistic␈α→intellectual␈α_mood␈α_will␈α_prevent␈α_the␈α_necessary␈α_increase␈α_in␈α_prosperity␈α_and
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Htechnological␈α
capability.
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_4.␈α
Our␈α
conversation␈α
was␈α
too␈α
short␈α
for␈α
me␈α
to␈α
understand␈α
the␈α
precise␈α
nature␈α
of␈α
your␈αconcerns
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Habout␈αloss␈αof␈αdiversity␈αand␈αspiritual␈αvalues.␈αI␈αam␈αnot␈αeven␈αsure␈αthese␈αare␈αthe␈αwords␈αyou␈αused.␈αSome
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hof␈α
my␈α
concerns␈α
about␈α
your␈α
concerns␈α
are␈α
speculations␈α
based␈α
on␈α
other␈αpeoples'␈αprograms␈αfor␈αdealing
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hwith␈α
such␈α
problems.␈α
Concern␈αover␈αthe␈αAmerican␈αmiddle␈αclass␈αhaving␈αmaterialistic␈αvalues␈αstands␈αon
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Htwo␈α
legs.␈α
The␈α
first␈α
is␈α
the␈α
mistaken␈α
belief␈α
that␈α
it␈α
is␈α
not␈α
feasible␈α
to␈α
continue␈α
our␈α
present␈αenergy␈αand
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hmaterial␈αflow␈αand␈αincrease␈αit,␈αand␈αthat␈αit␈αis␈αinfeasible␈αfor␈αother␈αcountries␈αto␈αfollow␈αour␈αexample.␈αAs
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hyou␈α
said,␈αthis␈αis␈αnot␈αthe␈αmain␈αissue,␈αand␈αthe␈αpeople␈αwho␈αexpress␈αthese␈αfears␈αmost␈αstrongly␈αgenerally
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hare␈αmore␈αinterested␈αin␈αgetting␈αus␈αto␈αrepent␈αthan␈αto␈αtry␈αto␈α
solve␈α
the␈α
technological␈α
problems.␈α
The␈α
other
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hconcern␈α
is␈α
a␈α
belief␈α
that␈α
a␈α
simpler␈α
life␈α
it␈α
better␈α
for␈αus.␈αWell,␈αsometimes␈αI␈αlike␈αmy␈αpossessions␈αand␈αat
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hother␈αtimes␈αI␈αfeel␈αentangled␈αin␈αthem.␈αI␈αcan␈αwell␈αbelieve␈αthat␈αother␈αpeople␈αmay␈αfeel␈α
this␈α
more␈α
strongly
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hand␈αmore␈αconstantly␈αthan␈αI␈αdo,␈αbut␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthey␈αare␈αsubstantially␈αfree␈αto␈αshed␈αwhat␈αthey
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hfind␈αencumbering␈αand␈αare␈αalso␈αfree␈αto␈αtry␈αto␈αpersuade␈αothers␈αto␈αdo␈αlikewise.␈αWhat␈αworries␈αme␈αis␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hmoralistic␈αattack␈αon␈αpeople␈αwho␈αlike␈αposessions␈αand␈αa␈αdesire␈αto␈αget␈αthe␈αgovernment␈αto␈αpromote␈αtheir
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hideology.␈α∞Russell␈α
Train's␈α
article␈α
in␈α
␈↓↓Science␈↓␈α
of␈α
June␈α
7,␈α
1974␈α
on␈α
energy␈α
policy␈α
expresses␈α
this␈α
to␈α
some
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hextent.␈α
This␈α
seems␈α
tyrannical␈α
to␈α
me␈α
and␈α
also␈α
seems␈α
to␈α
counter␈α
the␈α
desire␈α
for␈α
diversity.
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_I␈αenclose␈αa␈αstatement␈αof␈α"technological␈αoptimism"␈αthat␈αI␈αam␈αpromoting␈αat␈αStanford␈αand␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓Hbe␈α∂glad␈α∂to␈α∂have␈α∂your␈α∞reaction.␈α∞I␈α∞will␈α∞also␈α∞send␈α∞you␈α∞a␈α∞copy␈α∞of␈α∞some␈α∞essays␈α∞on␈α∞␈↓↓Technology␈α∞and␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HPursuit␈α
of␈α
Happiness␈↓␈α
as␈α
soon␈α
as␈α
the␈α
next␈α
version␈α
comes␈α
out␈α
of␈α
the␈α
computer.
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSincerely yours,
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xJohn McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xDirector, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xProfessor of Computer Science
␈↓ ↓H