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STANFORD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
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␈↓ ∧αDEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
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␈↓ ¬	STANFORD UNIVERSITY
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␈↓ ∧;STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(
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␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(␈↓ ¬xSeptember 19, 1974
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Editor
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␈↓↓Scientific American␈↓
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415 Madison Avenue
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New York, New York 10017
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Sirs:
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␈↓ α_Ansley␈αCoale␈α[␈↓βThe␈αHistory␈αof␈αthe␈αHuman␈αPopulation,␈α␈↓↓Scientific␈α
American␈↓,␈α
September]␈α
misses
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␈↓ ↓Hsome␈α∞population␈α∞control␈α
mechanisms␈α
that␈α
may␈α
have␈α
been␈α
important␈α
in␈α
previous␈α
societies␈α
and␈α
may
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␈↓ ↓Hbecome␈α⊃important␈α⊃in␈α⊃the␈α⊃future.␈α⊃Both␈α⊃folk␈α⊃tales␈α⊃and␈α⊃18th␈α⊃and␈α⊃19th␈α⊂century␈α⊂literature␈α⊂give␈α⊂the
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␈↓ ↓Himpression␈α∞that␈α∞a␈α∞person␈α∞could␈α∞not␈α∞marry␈α∞unless␈α∞he␈α∞inherited␈α∞one␈α∞of␈α∞a␈α
fixed␈α
set␈α
of␈α
social␈α
slots␈α
or
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␈↓ ↓Hcould␈αget␈αone␈αfrom␈αsomeone␈αelse.␈αIn␈αsuch␈αa␈αsociety,␈αthe␈αresponse␈αto␈αan␈αupward␈αfluctuation␈αin␈αbirths
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␈↓ ↓Hwould␈α∞not␈α∞necessarily␈α
be␈α
an␈α
increased␈α
death␈α
rate;␈α
it␈α
might␈α
simply␈α
be␈α
a␈α
reduction␈α
in␈α
marriage␈α
rate.
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␈↓ ↓HTraditional␈α∩society␈α∩had␈α∩many␈α∩places␈α∩for␈α∩people␈α∩whom␈α∩it␈α⊃didn't␈α⊃allow␈α⊃to␈α⊃marry:␈α⊃dependents␈α⊃in
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␈↓ ↓Hfamilies,␈α↔most␈α↔domestic␈α↔servants,␈α⊗many␈α⊗soldiers␈α⊗and␈α⊗sailors,␈α⊗monks,␈α⊗nuns,␈α⊗and␈α⊗priests.␈α⊗This
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␈↓ ↓Hmechanism␈α∞could␈α∞control␈α∞not␈α∞merely␈α
the␈α
population␈α
as␈α
a␈α
whole␈α
but␈α
also␈α
the␈α
numbers␈α
of␈α
people␈α
in
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␈↓ ↓Hparticular␈α∞occupations␈α∞and␈α∞stations␈α∞in␈α∞life.␈α∞Most␈α∞countries␈α∞had␈α∞laws␈α∞that␈α
prevented␈α
subdivision␈α
of
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␈↓ ↓Hlanded␈αproperty,␈αand␈αmany␈αoccupations␈αhad␈αrules␈αdesigned␈αto␈αprevent␈αthe␈αnumber␈αof␈αworkers␈αfrom
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␈↓ ↓Hincreasing.
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␈↓ α_Industrialization␈α∪made␈α∪this␈α∩population␈α∩control␈α∩mechanism␈α∩ineffective␈α∩by␈α∩creating␈α∩a␈α∩labor
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␈↓ ↓Hmarket.␈α
Once␈α
there␈α
are␈α
many␈α
jobs␈α
for␈α
which␈α
there␈α
is␈α
free␈α
competition,␈α
and␈α
once␈α
these␈αoccupations
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␈↓ ↓Hprovide␈αthe␈αcash␈αto␈αrent␈αhousing␈αof␈αhowever␈αpoor␈αquality,␈αthe␈αpopulation␈αwill␈αstart␈αincreasing.␈αThis
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␈↓ ↓Hcan␈α
explain␈α
why␈α
population␈α
increase␈α
started␈α
before␈α
medicine␈α
had␈α
advanced␈α
appreciably.
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John McCarthy
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Computer Science Department
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Stanford University
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Stanford, California
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