perm filename SCIENC.XGP[LET,JMC]3 blob sn#340381 filedate 1978-03-13 generic text, type T, neo UTF8
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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
¬March 13, 1978 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Science
␈↓ ↓H␈↓1515 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Washington D.C. 20005

␈↓ ↓H␈↓To the Editor:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Bruce␈α
R.␈α
Zimmerman␈α
in␈α
his␈α
letter␈α
(10␈αMar.,␈α
p.␈α
1026)␈α
comes␈α
close␈α
to␈α
saying␈α
that␈αpeople␈α
whose
␈↓ ↓H␈↓illnesses␈αresult␈αfrom␈αsmoking,␈αfailure␈αto␈αexercise,␈αor␈αeating␈αa␈αlot␈αdeserve␈αthem.␈α At␈αa␈αgive␈αlevel␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓medical␈α
technology,␈αthere␈α
may␈α
be␈αno␈α
other␈α
way␈αof␈α
avoiding␈α
certain␈αdiseases␈α
than␈α
changing␈αone's
␈↓ ↓H␈↓life␈α
style.␈α
 However,␈α
the␈α
campaign␈α
to␈α
get␈α
people␈α
to␈α
change␈α
their␈α
life␈α
styles␈α
has␈α
acquired␈α
harmful
␈↓ ↓H␈↓moralistic␈α
overtones.␈α For␈α
example,␈αlines␈α
of␈α
research␈αthat␈α
would,␈αfor␈α
example,␈αpermit␈α
a␈α
person␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓eat what he pleases or smoke if he pleases and still be healthy may be neglected.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α
is␈α
the␈α
duty␈α
of␈αmedicine␈α
to␈α
tell␈α
us␈α
the␈α
medical␈αconsequences␈α
of␈α
of␈α
di≥erent␈α
behaviors,␈αbut␈α
it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α
also␈α∞its␈α
duty␈α∞to␈α
develop,␈α∞if␈α
it␈α∞can,␈α
ways␈α∞of␈α
preserving␈α∞people's␈α
health,␈α∞whatever␈α
life␈α∞style␈α
they
␈↓ ↓H␈↓may choose.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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