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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
≥July 12, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. Theodore D. Sterling
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Computing Science Program
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Simon Fraser University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Burnaby, B.C.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Canada V5A 1S6

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Dr. Sterling:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈α∞do␈α
not␈α∞think␈α
our␈α∞correspondence␈α
appropriate␈α∞for␈α
SIGART.␈α∞ There␈α
is␈α∞another␈α∞SIG␈α
(SIGSOC)
␈↓ ↓H␈↓interested in computers and society that might do.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈α∞do␈α
not␈α∞think␈α∞CAI␈α
is␈α∞a␈α
complete␈α∞failure.␈α∞ In␈α
particular,␈α∞Suppes'␈α
␈↓↓Old␈α∞church␈α∞slavonic,␈α
Bulgarian␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α
␈↓↓␈αLISP␈↓␈α
CAI␈α
courses␈αare␈α
in␈α
reasonably␈αsteady␈α
use.␈α
 The␈α≡rst␈α
two␈α
allow␈αthe␈α
courses␈α
to␈αbe␈α
o≥ered
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∂single␈α∂students␈α∂and␈α∂the␈α∂third␈α∂was␈α⊂used␈α∂in␈α∂my␈α∂LISP␈α∂course␈α∂as␈α∂an␈α∂optional␈α⊂supplement␈α∂with
␈↓ ↓H␈↓about two thirds of the students using it to some extent.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓You␈α∀are␈α∀correct␈α∀that␈α∀my␈α∀papers␈α∀make␈α∀assertions␈α∀in␈α∀single␈α∀sentences␈α∀that␈α∃require␈α∀extended
␈↓ ↓H␈↓justi≡cations.␈α∩ My␈α⊃excuse␈α∩is␈α∩that␈α⊃the␈α∩points␈α⊃are␈α∩peripheral␈α∩to␈α⊃the␈α∩main␈α⊃thrust␈α∩of␈α∩the␈α⊃paper.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Nevertheless,␈α
they␈α
have␈αaroused␈α
irritation␈α
and␈αI␈α
think␈α
that␈αnext␈α
time␈α
I␈αwill␈α
surround␈α
each␈αof␈α
them
␈↓ ↓H␈↓by␈αan␈αadmission␈αthat␈αother␈αpeople␈αhave␈αdi≥erent␈αopinions␈αand␈αthat␈αa␈αmore␈αextended␈αjusti≡cation
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of my opinion is required to convince people who don't already agree.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈αthink␈α
that␈αyou␈α
will␈αbuy␈α
a␈αhome␈α
terminal␈αlong␈α
before␈αit␈α
o≥ers␈αinstant␈α
access␈αto␈α
the␈αcontents␈αof␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓U.S.␈αLibrary␈αof␈α
Congress,␈αbut␈αgetting␈αstarted␈α
with␈αhome␈αterminals␈αis␈α
thought␈αto␈αbe␈αa␈α
problem.␈α I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓am␈α∞not␈α
sure␈α∞it␈α∞really␈α
is␈α∞a␈α∞problem,␈α
because␈α∞people␈α
are␈α∞buying␈α∞and␈α
building␈α∞home␈α∞computers␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓large␈αnumbers␈αwithout␈αany␈αreal␈αapplications␈αat␈αall.␈α Message␈αsystems␈αand␈αcorrespondence␈α≡les␈αwill
␈↓ ↓H␈↓keep␈α∀these␈α∪people␈α∀using␈α∀their␈α∪computers␈α∀and␈α∪the␈α∀≡rst␈α∀time␈α∪airline␈α∀reservation␈α∀systems␈α∪and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓telephone␈α
directories␈αbecome␈α
accessable,␈αa␈α
new␈αlarge␈α
group␈αof␈α
users␈αwill␈α
be␈α
attracted␈αFortunately,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓there␈αare␈αapplications␈αthat␈α
do␈αnot␈αrequire␈αeven␈α
one␈αperson␈αin␈α10,000␈α
to␈αbe␈αa␈αsubscriber␈α
for␈αtheir
␈↓ ↓H␈↓utility.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈α∂can␈α⊂see␈α∂many␈α⊂reasons␈α∂for␈α⊂tolerating␈α∂ine≠ciency,␈α⊂dual␈α∂standards␈α⊂ and␈α∂confusion␈α⊂in␈α∂particular
␈↓ ↓H␈↓cases,␈α⊂and␈α⊂≡nding␈α⊂them␈α⊂unavoidable␈α⊂in␈α⊂others,␈α⊂lest␈α∂worse␈α⊂befall␈α⊂us,␈α⊂but␈α⊂I␈α⊂cannot␈α⊂see␈α⊂them␈α∂as
␈↓ ↓H␈↓virtues.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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