/LMAR=0/XLINE=3/FONT#0=BASL30/FONT#1=BASI30/FONT#2=BASB30/FONT#10=BAXM30/FONT#11=ZERO30/FONT#11=ZERO30/FONT#3=STA200/FONT#4=NGB25
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	␈October 6, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Paul W. Purdom
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Computer Science Department
␈↓ ↓H␈↓101 Lindley Hall
␈↓ ↓H␈↓University of Indiana
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Bloomington Indiana 47801

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Purdom:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞have␈α∞read␈α∞Hofstadter's␈α∂book␈α∞and␈α∞would␈α∞be␈α∞much␈α∂interested␈α∞in␈α∞his␈α∞opinion␈α∂of␈α∞Sloman's
␈↓ ↓H␈↓book.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α⊂book␈α∂demonstrates␈α⊂a␈α∂substantial␈α⊂productivity,␈α∂since␈α⊂it␈α∂contains␈α⊂many␈α⊂ideas␈α∂carefully
␈↓ ↓H␈↓worked␈α
out.␈α∞ However,␈α
it␈α∞doesn't␈α
contain␈α
technical␈α∞contributions␈α
to␈α∞computer␈α
science,␈α∞to␈α
arti≡cial
␈↓ ↓H␈↓intelligence␈α or␈αto␈αphilosophy,␈αsince␈αit␈αis␈αbasically␈αa␈αpopular␈αwork.␈α In␈αmy␈αopinion,␈αthe␈αrelations␈αit
␈↓ ↓H␈↓proposes␈α∃among␈α∀the␈α∃works␈α∀of␈α∃G␈↓:␈↓odel,␈α∀Escher␈α∃and␈α∀Bach,␈α∃while␈α∀thought␈α∃provoking␈α∃are␈α∀not
␈↓ ↓H␈↓fundamental enough to lead to advances in these sciences.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Hofstadter␈α∞may␈α∞make␈α∞important␈α∞technical␈α∞contributins␈α∞if␈α∞that␈α∞is␈α∞what␈α∞he␈α∞works␈α∞at,␈α∞but␈α
if
␈↓ ↓H␈↓your␈α
tenure␈α
decision␈α
is␈αto␈α
be␈α
based␈α
on␈αexisting␈α
contributions␈α
to␈α
science,␈αit␈α
is␈α
premature.␈α
 On␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓other␈αhand,␈αif␈αyou␈αthink␈αyour␈αdepartment␈αcan␈αa≥ord␈αone␈αprofessor␈αwhose␈αmajor␈αcontributions␈αare
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as a popularizer and communicator, I don't see how you can do better than Hofstadter.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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