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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone: 415 497-4430␈↓ 
≤May 22, 1984 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Electronic mail: JMC␈↓@␈↓∧SU-AI␈↓
.␈↓∧ARPA




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor Takayasu Ito
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Department of Electrical Communications
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Faculty of Engineering
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Tohoku University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sendai JAPAN

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Professor Ito:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thank␈αyou␈αfor␈αthinking␈αof␈αme␈αin␈αconnection␈αwith␈αthe␈αJapan␈αprize.␈α The␈αbibliography␈αand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓biography you requested are enclosed.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Everything␈α∩important␈α⊃that␈α∩I've␈α⊃done␈α∩is␈α⊃reasonably␈α∩well␈α⊃documented␈α∩in␈α⊃papers,␈α∩but␈α⊃for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓various␈α
reasons␈α
I␈α
never␈α
wrote␈α
a␈α
big␈α
general␈αpaper␈α
on␈α
the␈α
subject,␈α
although␈α
it␈α
is␈α
disussed␈αin␈α
several
␈↓ ↓H␈↓papers mentioned in my bibliography.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Therefore,␈α∞I␈α∂enclose␈α∞a␈α∂copy␈α∞of␈α∂an␈α∞early␈α∞memo␈α∂on␈α∞time-sharing,␈α∂which␈α∞I␈α∂think␈α∞is␈α∂the␈α∞≡rst
␈↓ ↓H␈↓proposal␈α
along␈α
these␈α
lines␈α
and␈α
which␈α
has␈αnever␈α
been␈α
published.␈α
 Besides␈α
that␈α
I␈α
enclose␈αa␈α
historical
␈↓ ↓H␈↓memo␈αI␈αwrote␈αabout␈αthe␈αdevelopment␈αof␈αthe␈αideas␈αin␈αpreparation␈αfor␈αa␈αvideotaped␈αsession␈αon␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓subject␈α
organized␈α∞by␈α
Ithiel␈α∞Pool␈α
and␈α∞Richard␈α
Solomon␈α
at␈α∞M.I.T.␈α
 The␈α∞other␈α
participants␈α∞in␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓session seemed to be in substantial agreement with the version of events mentioned in that memo.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If you want copies of any of the papers mentioned in my bibliography, I can supply them.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Again thanks for your e≥orts.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈α∀Perhaps␈α∃I'd␈α∀better␈α∃elaborate␈α∀a␈α∀bit␈α∃more␈α∀than␈α∃my␈α∀c.␈α∀v.␈α∃does␈α∀on␈α∃what␈α∀I␈α∃imagine␈α∀my
␈↓ ↓H␈↓contributions to have been.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓1.␈αMy␈α1958␈α␈↓↓Programs␈αwith␈αCommon␈αSense␈↓␈αinitiates␈αthe␈αapproach␈αto␈αAI␈αthat␈αinvolves␈αrepresenting
␈↓ ↓H␈↓common sense facts in mathematical logic.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓2. My 1960 ␈↓↓Recursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions ...␈↓ presents the LISP language.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αProfessor Takayasu Ito ␈↓ ¬rMay 22, 1984␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓3.␈αI␈αinitiated␈αthe␈αconcept␈αof␈αtime-sharing␈α
system␈αin␈α1958␈αand␈αparticipated␈αin␈αvarious␈α
developments
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓4. My 1960 ␈↓↓Checking Mathematical Proofs by Computer␈↓ initiates that subject.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓5.␈α∞My␈α∂1963␈α∞␈↓↓A␈α∞Basis␈α∂for␈α∞a␈α∞Mathematical␈α∂Theory␈α∞of␈α∞Computation␈↓␈α∂initiates␈α∞the␈α∞subject␈α∂of␈α∞proving
␈↓ ↓H␈↓program correctness formally and provides ideas on how to do it for recursive programs.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓6.␈αMy␈α1969␈αpaper␈αwith␈αPatrick␈αHayes␈α
initiates␈αthe␈αsituation␈αcalculus,␈αalthough␈αthere␈αwere␈α
versions
␈↓ ↓H␈↓in earlier papers.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓7. During the 1970s I wrote various papers on philosophical problems and their relation to AI.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓8.␈α⊂In␈α⊃1977␈α⊂and␈α⊂again␈α⊃in␈α⊂1980␈α⊂I␈α⊃introduced␈α⊂the␈α⊂idea␈α⊃of␈α⊂circumscription␈α⊂as␈α⊃a␈α⊂method␈α⊃of␈α⊂non-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓monotonic reasoning.  At present it seems to be the most popular approach.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈αcould␈αelaborate␈αall␈αof␈αthese␈αpoints,␈αbut␈αthis␈αis␈αas␈αmuch␈αbragging␈αas␈αI␈αcan␈αbring␈αmyself␈αto␈αdo␈αfor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓now.