/LMAR=0/XLINE=3/FONT#0=BAXL30/FONT#1=BAXM30/FONT#2=BASB30/FONT#3=SUB/FONT#4=SUP/FONT#5=BASL35/FONT#6=NGR25/FONT#7=MATH30/FONT#8=FIX25/FONT#9=GRKB30
␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u1


␈↓ α∧␈↓α␈↓ ε⊂ABOUT OWING

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThis␈αnote␈αwas␈αinspired␈αby␈αa␈αdiscussion␈αwith␈αTerry␈αWinograd␈αthat␈αstarted␈αwith␈αthe␈αsentence
␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓↓"John␈α∂owes␈α⊂Bill␈α∂a␈α∂horse"␈↓,␈α⊂said␈α∂to␈α⊂have␈α∂been␈α∂used␈α⊂as␈α∂an␈α∂example␈α⊂by␈α∂Buridan.␈α⊂ The␈α∂particular
␈↓ α∧␈↓difficulty␈α⊂raised␈α∂by␈α⊂Buridan␈α∂is␈α⊂that␈α⊂the␈α∂sentence␈α⊂doesn't␈α∂imply␈α⊂the␈α∂existence␈α⊂of␈α⊂any␈α∂particular
␈↓ α∧␈↓horse␈α
that␈α
John␈α
owes␈αBill␈α
or␈α
even␈α
any␈αhorse␈α
at␈α
all.␈α
 As␈αI␈α
see␈α
it,␈α
John␈αmight␈α
equally␈α
well␈α
owe␈αBill␈α
a
␈↓ α∧␈↓unicorn.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThe␈α
current␈α
issue␈α
concerns␈α
whether␈α
the␈αproper␈α
definition␈α
of␈α
owing␈α
should␈α
involve␈α"points
␈↓ α∧␈↓of␈α∞view",␈α∞a␈α
structure␈α∞in␈α∞KRL,␈α
the␈α∞␈↓↓knowledge␈α∞representation␈α
language␈↓␈α∞being␈α∞developed␈α∞by␈α
Terry
␈↓ α∧␈↓and his colleagues at Xerox Palo Alto Research Laboratories.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTMy␈α∞contention␈α
is␈α∞that␈α
owing␈α∞has␈α
no␈α∞objective␈α
definition␈α∞independent␈α
of␈α∞human␈α∞will.␈α
 We
␈↓ α∧␈↓can␈α∪create␈α∀as␈α∪fictitious␈α∪persons␈α∀corporations␈α∪or␈α∀computer␈α∪programs␈α∪and␈α∀admit␈α∪them␈α∀to␈α∪the
␈↓ α∧␈↓financial␈α⊂world,␈α⊂allowing␈α⊂them␈α⊂to␈α⊂receive␈α⊂and␈α∂pay␈α⊂money␈α⊂and␈α⊂acquire␈α⊂debits␈α⊂and␈α⊂credits.␈α∂ As
␈↓ α∧␈↓society␈αhas␈αconstructed␈αits␈αfinancial␈αsystem,␈αit␈αis␈αpossible␈αfor␈αa␈αdebt␈αto␈αbe␈αincurred␈αand␈αno␈αperson
␈↓ α∧␈↓or␈α
even␈α∞computer␈α
program␈α∞to␈α
ever␈α∞know␈α
about␈α∞it.␈α
 If␈α∞I␈α
shoot␈α∞an␈α
arrow␈α∞into␈α
the␈α∞air␈α
and␈α∞it␈α
kills
␈↓ α∧␈↓your␈α∂cat,␈α∂but␈α⊂the␈α∂cat␈α∂crawls␈α∂off␈α⊂to␈α∂die,␈α∂and␈α∂neither␈α⊂of␈α∂us␈α∂knows␈α∂about␈α⊂it,␈α∂I␈α∂have␈α⊂incurred␈α∂an
␈↓ α∧␈↓obligation␈αat␈αthe␈αtime␈αof␈αmy␈αnegligence.␈α Should␈αthe␈αfact␈αbe␈αdiscovered␈αmuch␈αlater,␈αmy␈αestate␈αwill
␈↓ α∧␈↓owe␈α∂the␈α∂value␈α∞of␈α∂the␈α∂cat␈α∞to␈α∂yours␈α∂with␈α∂interest␈α∞from␈α∂the␈α∂time␈α∞of␈α∂the␈α∂event.␈α∞ If␈α∂that␈α∂is␈α∂not␈α∞the
␈↓ α∧␈↓precise law, there is nothing to prevent the legislature from making it the law.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThe␈α∞point␈α∞is␈α∞that␈α∞humans␈α
have␈α∞created␈α∞␈↓↓owing␈↓␈α∞as␈α∞an␈α
abstract␈α∞entity,␈α∞and␈α∞we␈α∞can␈α
perfectly
␈↓ α∧␈↓well create others or extend the ones we already have.  Let me try.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTThe␈α␈↓↓splenitude␈↓␈αof␈αa␈αman␈αand␈αa␈αwoman␈αis␈αa␈αreal␈αnumber␈αbetween␈αzero␈αand␈αone.␈α I␈αshall␈αnot
␈↓ α∧␈↓define␈α
it␈α
precisely,␈α
and␈α
after␈αit␈α
comes␈α
into␈α
use,␈α
different␈αpeople␈α
will␈α
disagree␈α
somewhat␈α
on␈αthe␈α
rules
␈↓ α∧␈↓for determining it.


␈↓ α∧␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ α∧␈↓Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ α∧␈↓Computer Science Department
␈↓ α∧␈↓Stanford University
␈↓ α∧␈↓Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ α∧␈↓ARPANET: MCCARTHY@SU-AI

␈↓ α∧␈↓OWE[F76,JMC] ␈↓εThis draft PUBbed at 13:33 on July 20, 1978.␈↓