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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊃April 21, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Louis Schindel
␈↓ ↓H␈↓New Jersey Solar Action
␈↓ ↓H␈↓32 West Lafayette Street
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Trenton, New Jersey 08608

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Schindel:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Your␈α∪values␈α∀and␈α∪mine␈α∪di≥er␈α∀about␈α∪the␈α∪relative␈α∀importance␈α∪of␈α∪personal␈α∀freedom␈α∪and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓protecting␈α
people␈α
from␈α
their␈α
own␈α
mistakes.␈α We␈α
probably␈α
also␈α
di≥er␈α
about␈α
the␈α
facts␈αconcerning␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓consequences␈αof␈α
various␈αenergy␈α
policies.␈α For␈α
example,␈αif␈α
you␈αascribe␈α
the␈αentire␈α
recent␈αreduction␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓accidents␈α∂to␈α∂the␈α∂reduced␈α∂speed␈α∂limit,␈α∂then␈α∂no␈α∂credit␈α∂is␈α∂available␈α∂for␈α∂the␈α∂expensive␈α∞government
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mandated safety improvements such as seat belt interlocks and "crashworthiness".

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈α∂you␈α⊂should␈α∂recognize␈α∂that␈α⊂people␈α∂can␈α∂di≥er␈α⊂honestly␈α∂about␈α∂these␈α⊂matters.␈α∂ For
␈↓ ↓H␈↓your␈α∂information,␈α∂I␈α∂have␈α∂no␈α∂connection␈α∂with␈α∂the␈α∂American␈α∂Truckers␈α∂Association␈α∂or␈α∂any␈α∂other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓industry␈α∂group,␈α∂and␈α∂I␈α∂think␈α∞you␈α∂should␈α∂not␈α∂make␈α∂such␈α∞speculations.␈α∂ Some␈α∂people␈α∂on␈α∂my␈α∞side
␈↓ ↓H␈↓imagine␈αthat␈αanti-nuclear␈αlobbying␈αis␈αsponsored␈αby␈αthe␈αoil␈αcompanies,␈αthe␈αArabs,␈αor␈αthe␈αRussians.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓That␈αseems␈α
to␈αme␈αjust␈α
as␈αimprobable␈α
as␈αyour␈αaccusation.␈α
 If␈αyour␈αaccusation␈α
was␈αnot␈α
serious␈αbut
␈↓ ↓H␈↓merely␈α
a␈α
talking␈α
point,␈αyou␈α
should␈α
consider␈α
the␈αe≥ect␈α
on␈α
public␈α
controversy,␈αif␈α
a␈α
good␈α
part␈α
of␈αit
␈↓ ↓H␈↓consists of assuming without evidence that people you disagree with are in someone's secret pay.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈α
to␈α∞my␈α
own␈α∞use␈α
of␈α∞the␈α
term␈α∞"environmental␈α
lobbyist",␈α∞I␈α
meant␈α∞precisely␈α
groups␈α∞such␈α
as
␈↓ ↓H␈↓yours.␈α∩ Your␈α∩activity␈α∩is␈α⊃legitimate,␈α∩but␈α∩it␈α∩is␈α⊃just␈α∩as␈α∩relevant␈α∩to␈α⊃point␈α∩out␈α∩that␈α∩you␈α∩have␈α⊃an
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ideological interest as it is to point out that oil companies have a ≡nancial interest.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        You␈αshould␈αalso␈αconsider␈αthe␈αbad␈αe≥ects␈αof␈αwriting␈αto␈αuniversity␈αpresidents␈αadvocating␈αthat
␈↓ ↓H␈↓people␈α∂who␈α∂have␈α∂wrong␈α∂views␈α∂shouldn't␈α∂be␈α⊂allowed␈α∂to␈α∂teach.␈α∂ At␈α∂least␈α∂I␈α∂suppose␈α∂this␈α⊂was␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓purport of your note to the president of my university.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        With␈α∀regard␈α∀to␈α∪my␈α∀statement␈α∀that␈α∪you␈α∀≡nd␈α∀"outrageous␈α∪and␈α∀inhumane",␈α∀I␈α∀would␈α∪be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓interested␈α
in␈α
what␈α
boundary␈α
you␈αplace␈α
on␈α
the␈α
right␈α
of␈αgovernment␈α
to␈α
restrain␈α
people␈α
for␈αtheir␈α
own
␈↓ ↓H␈↓good.  I could, as some science ≡ction writers have done, imagine some extremes in that direction.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Finally,␈α∩with␈α⊃regard␈α∩to␈α⊃your␈α∩wonder␈α∩as␈α⊃to␈α∩whether␈α⊃this␈α∩"credentialed␈α∩gentleman␈α⊃would
␈↓ ↓H␈↓maintain␈α⊃his␈α⊃stance␈α⊃...",␈α⊃I␈α⊃must␈α⊃inform␈α⊃you␈α⊃that␈α⊃I␈α⊃recently␈α⊃lost␈α⊃my␈α⊃wife␈α⊃in␈α⊃a␈α⊂mountaineering
␈↓ ↓H␈↓accident.␈α∂ Since␈α∂the␈α∂mountain,␈α∞Annapurna,␈α∂was␈α∂known␈α∂to␈α∞be␈α∂dangerous,␈α∂both␈α∂of␈α∂us␈α∞considered
␈↓ ↓H␈↓before␈α∞she␈α∞left␈α∞the␈α∞pros␈α∞and␈α∞cons␈α∞of␈α∞her␈α∞risking␈α∞her␈α∞life␈α∞in␈α∞trying␈α∞to␈α∞climb␈α∞the␈α∞mountain.␈α∞ She
␈↓ ↓H␈↓understood␈α⊃the␈α∩risks,␈α⊃having␈α⊃lost␈α∩close␈α⊃friends␈α⊃in␈α∩mountaineering␈α⊃accidents.␈α∩ Having␈α⊃thought
␈↓ ↓H␈↓about␈α∞the␈α∞possibility␈α∞in␈α∞advance␈α∞didn't␈α∞prevent␈α∞my␈α∞shock␈α∞and␈α∞pain␈α∞at␈α∞losing␈α∞her,␈α∞but␈α∞I␈α∞remain
␈↓ ↓H␈↓convinced that she had a right to take the risk.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. Louis Schindel␈↓ ¬oApril 21, 1979␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 



␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.S.␈α∂I␈α∂would␈α∂be␈α∂grateful␈α⊂if␈α∂you␈α∂would␈α∂show␈α∂this␈α∂letter␈α⊂to␈α∂other␈α∂members␈α∂of␈α∂New␈α⊂Jersey␈α∂Solar
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Action and perhaps post it on your bulletin board.