␈↓␈↓↓␈↓α␈↓β␈↓∧␈↓α␈↓ ∧8ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
␈↓ ∧[COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
␈↓ ¬0STANFORD UNIVERSITY
␈↓ ∧vSTANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
␈↓
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ε
June 5, 1973

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Dr. Bertram Raphael
␈↓ ↓H
Stanford Research Institute
␈↓ ↓H
333 Ravenswood Avenue
␈↓ ↓H
Menlo Park, Ca.  94025
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Dear Bert:
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃Here␈α
is␈α
my␈α
report␈α
on␈α
␈↓↓Beyond␈α
Omnipotent␈α
Robots␈↓␈α
by␈α
Gary␈α
G.␈α
Hendrix.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃The␈α
paper␈α
is␈α
a␈α
good␈α
one␈αand␈αshould␈αbe␈αpublished,␈αbecause␈αit␈αraises␈αproblems␈αwhose␈αsolution␈αis␈αvital
␈↓ ↓Hfor␈α
artificial␈α
intelligence.␈α
I␈α
have␈α
one␈α
major␈α
suggestion,␈α
several␈α
minor␈α
comments,␈α
and␈α
a␈α
general␈α
remark.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃1.␈α
The␈α
major␈α
suggestion␈α
is␈α
that␈α
the␈α
title␈α
be␈α
changed.␈α
␈↓↓Beyond␈α
Omnipotent␈α
Robots␈↓␈α
suggested␈α
to␈α
me
␈↓ ↓Hthat␈α∂it␈α∂discussed␈α∂what␈α∂would␈α∂happen␈α∂to␈α∂humanity␈α∂after␈α∂omnipotent␈α∞robots␈α∞were␈α∞achieved.␈α∞I␈α∞felt␈α∞I␈α∞could
␈↓ ↓Hpostpone␈α⊂thinking␈α⊂about␈α⊂that␈α⊂for␈α⊂a␈α⊂while,␈α⊂and␈α⊂this␈α∂partially␈α∂accounts␈α∂for␈α∂the␈α∂lateness␈α∂of␈α∂this␈α∂referee's
␈↓ ↓Hreport.␈α
I␈α
suggest␈α
a␈α
title␈α
like␈α
␈↓↓A␈α
robot␈α
representation␈α
of␈α
simultaneous␈α
actions␈α
and␈α
continuous␈α
processes␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃The␈αpresent␈αtitle␈αis␈αinaccurate␈αas␈α
well␈α
as␈α
misleading␈α
since␈α
the␈α
STRIPS␈α
robots␈α
are␈α
not␈α
omnipotent␈α
even
␈↓ ↓Hthough␈α
they␈α
are␈α
the␈α
only␈α
actors␈α
in␈α
the␈α
situation.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃2.␈α∞p.␈α∞8.␈α∞The␈α∞plural␈α∞of␈α∞␈↓↓continuum␈↓␈α∞is␈α
␈↓↓continua␈↓.␈α
I␈α
don't␈α
insist␈α
on␈α
correct␈α
Latin␈α
plurals␈α
if␈α
the␈α
editors
␈↓ ↓Hdon't.␈α∂p.11.␈α∂The␈α∂word␈α∂␈↓↓schemata␈↓␈α∞is␈α∞the␈α∞plural␈α∞of␈α∞␈↓↓schema␈↓.␈α∞Its␈α∞singular␈α∞use␈α∞is␈α∞objectionable.␈α∞p.17.␈α∞␈↓↓discreet␈↓
␈↓ ↓Hmeans␈α
␈↓↓does␈α
not␈α
tell␈α
secrets␈↓.␈α
␈↓↓discrete␈↓␈α
is␈α
the␈α
opposite␈α
of␈α
␈↓↓continuous␈↓.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃3.␈α∞The␈α∞weakness␈α∞of␈α
the␈α
formalism␈α
given␈α
in␈α
the␈α
paper␈α
is␈α
that␈α
it␈α
is␈α
inadequate␈α
for␈α
the␈α
expression␈α
of
␈↓ ↓Hpartial␈αinformation␈αabout␈αprocesses,␈αe.g.␈αhumans␈αcan␈αstill␈αdeal␈αwith␈αa␈α
situation␈α
in␈α
which␈α
it␈α
is␈α
not␈α
known␈α
how
␈↓ ↓Hfast␈αthe␈αbucket␈αfills␈αup.␈αIn␈αthe␈αterminology␈αof␈αMcCarthy␈αand␈αHayes,␈αthe␈αformalism␈αis␈αnot␈αepistemologically
␈↓ ↓Hadequate␈αeven␈αthough␈αit␈αmay␈αbe␈αmetaphysically␈αadequate.␈αIt␈αshares␈αthis␈αweakness␈αwith␈αSTRIPS,␈αalthough␈αI
␈↓ ↓Hthink␈αthere␈αwill␈αbe␈αeven␈αmore␈αdifficulty␈αin␈αexpressing␈αthe␈αinformation␈αactually␈αavailable␈αto␈αthe␈αrobot␈αin␈α
the
␈↓ ↓Hsimultaneous␈α
continuous␈α
case␈α
than␈α
there␈α
is␈α
in␈α
the␈α
cases␈α
treated␈α
by␈α
STRIPS.

␈↓ ↓H␈α?␈α⊃In␈α
spite␈α
of␈α
this␈α
criticism,␈α
I␈α
favor␈α
publishing␈α
the␈α
paper,␈α
because␈α
it␈α
comes␈α
closer␈α
to␈αa␈αmetaphysically
␈↓ ↓Hadequate␈αformalism␈αfor␈αsimultaneous␈αcontinuous␈αevents␈αthan␈αanything␈αin␈αthe␈α
literature␈α
at␈α
present.␈α
However,
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈α⊂paper␈α⊂would␈α⊂be␈α⊂even␈α⊂more␈α⊂of␈α⊂a␈α⊂contribution␈α⊂if␈α⊂the␈α⊂author␈α⊂would␈α⊂discuss␈α⊂representation␈α∂of␈α∂partial
␈↓ ↓Hinformation␈α
about␈α
simultaneous␈α
continuous␈α
processes.

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
					Sincerely yours,
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
					John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H
					Professor of Computer Science
␈↓ ↓H
					Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ ↓H